This book is a true American classic. Plants demonstrates the tremendous maturation process Ms. Kelsey has experienced since her original work, Science. Written in lucid prose, Plants demonstrates Ms. Kelsey's masterful grasp of English language and ability to express complex concepts with the uptmost clarity. Through her heartwarming tales examining the lives of several complex characters, Ms. Kelsey has guarenteed Plants' position among the most beloved of American novels. Memories of Patrick Elvander's enduring love of Botany, and Justus von Liebig's life-long sacrifice and struggle culminating in the invention of Liebig's Extract will remain with Plants' readers and shape their lives. Ms. Kelsey's work is truly a masterpiece to be shelved alongside Faulkner, Austen, and Dickens, and will be a valuauble tool in classrooms for decades to come. It is a tragic loss to the English language that Ms. Kelsey has discarded her pen for other pursuits, but fortunately she has blessed us with a glimpse her brilliance. Ms. Kelsey's brief career will remain an enigma for years to come as literary historians debate what masterpieces she could have produced had the obvious talent manifested in Plants been cultivated in other works.

This book is a winner in the career genre. It is far more than a compilation of dull facts and statistics on careers associated with plants. While it provides all the essential career facts (salary, education, career preparation, etc), it also lets young people get a bird's-eye view of what several careers are really like by relating actual career experiences. The information is as helpful as actually shadowing a job holder. Another plus -- it is written in a very friendly and personal style.

Sarah Anderson and Jane Kelsey provide an insightful and engrossing overview of the world of careers with plants. The breadth and depth of the various career portraits are impressive, and speak to readers of all ages. The authors' non-patronizing and earnest tone makes the book an enjoyable read. This book is a must-have for young scientists and plant enthusiasts!

Drafted by a committee of 19 (but sufficiently well edited to read as if it were written by a single author) this book provides a well-argued, detailed and wide-ranging analysis of the consequences of economic globalization (the term corporate globalization is also extensively used in the book) and an examination of alternatives and the action required to move towards those alternatives. It has succeeded brilliantly, and deserves very close study, whether or not you agree with the drafting committee's views.

This is no extremist anti-corporate, anti-capitalist text, although it does clearly come to the conclusion that the vector of economic globalisation that we are on is neither inevitable, desirable nor sustainable. It is notable for arguing at the level of underlying principles and their practical consequences - it makes explicit the assumptions underlying corporate globalisation and questions them. This, in itself, is a valuable service as so much of the 'debate' in the media proceeds on the basis of bald assertion of essentially fallacious economic dogma.

The report starts with a critique of 'corporate globalization'. The term itself is useful, because the term 'globalization' has become something of a 'Humpty-Dumpty' word ('when I use a word, it means exactly what I want it to mean, neither more nor less'). 'Corporate globalization' describes a process driven and promoted by the large global corporations which, whatever its other consequences, gives primacy to the benefits that will flow to global business.

The critique identifies eight key features of corporate globalization:

1. 'Promotion of hypergrowth and unrestricted exploitation of environmental resources to fuel that growth
2. Privatization and commodification of public services and of remaining aspects of the global and community commons
3. Global cultural and economic homogenization and the intense promotion of consumerism
4. Integration and conversion of national economies, including some that were largely self-reliant, to environmentally and socially harmful export oriented production
5. Corporate deregulation and unrestricted movement of capital across borders
6. Dramatically increased corporate concentration
7. Dismantling of public health, social, and environmental programs already in place
8. Replacement of traditional powers of democratic nation-states and local communities by global corporate bureaucracies.'

It demonstrates each of these propositions and explores who are the beneficiaries of application of these policies. One of the complexities of trying to follow the arguments of the pro- and anti- globalisers is that both use statistics, both from apparently authoritative sources, that directly contradict each other. It is almost as if the two sides inhabit parallel universes that operate in different ways. Suffice it to say that the report puts forward convincing arguments in support of its case.

The critique proceeds to a devastating analysis of the impact of the World Bank, The IMF and the WTO, the three pillars of corporate globalisation, over the last four or five decades.

The report then argues ten principles for sustainable societies, as a basis for identifying ways of realising these principles in the subsequent chapters of the report. It argues that these principles 'seem to be the mirror opposites of the principles that drive the institutions of the corporate global economy.'.

One of the minor problems in the debate is that, whereas 'globalization' rolls easily off the tongue, 'the principle of subsidiarity' is neither easy to say nor obvious in its meaning. The report contains a chapter on the case for subsidiarity, and it is a strong one. The counter argument is almost entirely concerned with power. While there are many elements of conflict between corporate globalisation and the principle of subsidiarity - local control - they are not entirely antithetical. But the reach of the large corporates would unquestionably be reduced.

You may or may not agree with the arguments in this report, but they deserve serious attention. They are well and carefully argued, they represent (in fairly sophisticated terms) the views of a growing number of people around the world who believe that current beliefs and institutions serve them poorly, and they show those who wish to promote change a path for doing so.

This book is excellent for all those who think we can do better-that small farmers needn't be driven from the land, our water needn't be polluted, people need not go hungry while others are overfed genetically engineered chemically altered junk food, etc. It has great thinkers presenting clear, well thought out ideas about what's wrong and what we can do about it. It helps when getting in that classic argument of keynesianism/communism v. neoliberalism because it outlines the thrid alternative very well. I am a grad student and I used it for a paper i wrote recently refuting neoliberalism and it was very helpful. I highly recommend it! Also, look into Maria Mies. She is the anti-capitalist-patriarchy bomb, yo.

A friend of mine who is involved with Rabbi Michael Lerner's Tikkun Community movement recently gave me a copy of Alternatives to Economic Globalization: A Better World is Possible. I'm not an expert in this field at all, but I found the book worthwhile and very accessible. (So accessible that I read the entire thing in a week!) The writers include Jerry Mander, David Korten, Lori Wallach, and many people working around the world in the anti-globalization movement.

What makes the book really important is the positive solutions and alternatives offered. The authors offer real ways to put into practice the Tikkun Community's first and second core principles (interdependence and ecological sanity, and a new bottom line in economic and social institutions).

I think other Tikkun readers, progressive-Democrats, Green party members, and thoughtful people everywhere---who want to see the world change from how it is now to how it could be---would want to read a book outlining specifics of how to create sustainable energy, transportation and food systems. And Alternatives to Economic Globalization does just that. I can't recommend this book enough (in fact I've already bought several copies to give to some of my friends).

An amazing biography!! Sarah's life is turned into a superhero-like story that is really interesting. All the details of her life are left out, only leaving the most important and exciting information. Anderson addresses issues children can identify with and uses plenty of exciting words like secret weapons and superhero. The illustrations are full of humor, wit, and extensions of historical information. The story has humor and suspense, something very different from traditional biographies.

This is one of the finest books in the holiday cannon ever. The prolific heroine will inspire readers of all ages seeking to learn about the making of an American tradition. The historical veracity, pithy writing and imaginative artwork afford classic status to this one. Bravo, Sarah!

I read Thank You Sarah for a project for the Waukazoo library. I thought it was a good because it is about Thanksgiving and I think Thanksgiving is a special holiday. I think kids 9 years old or younger would enjoy this book in the 3rd grade. I recommend this book.

The introduction quotes Margaret Prescott Montague. "If the world be shut without, I'll sail the hidden seas within." Editor Sarah Anderson has collected a wide range of women's spiritual writing which have a satisfying taste of truth. Perhaps the amazing thing is that there is such a variety of writings of women's thoughts preserved for us. Louisa May Alcott's words are from a letter to a friend . She says, in part, "Women need a religion of their own, for they are called upon to lead a quiet self sacrificing life with peculiar trials, needs & joys, & it seems to me that a very simple one is fitted to us whose hearts are usually more alive than heads, & whose hands are tied in many ways." Like so many of the women quoted in this volume, she marched to her own drummer, and did not permit the patriarchal church to define her beliefs. Denise Levertov's poem remarking that each summer is the last summer, each day the last day, and each minute the last minute epitomizes the attitudes of awareness in these pieces. While shifting my attention to ponder what caught the authors' notice, my spiritual awareness has been enriched.

This is an anthology, and I just dip into it wherever and read - some of the greatest women writers of all times and places are represented here, often by the concentrated kernel of their artistic expression on spiritual topics. It never fails to inspire me, uplift me or simply melt me in sheer beauty. Not to mention gaining insights and increased awareness. This book is a keeper.

I love this book. Unrequited love, casual sex, run-in's with ex-boyfriends, you'll find it all here. Single girls, pull up a chair. "Just One of Those Things" tells the stories of young ladies on the lookout, looking for love, finding love, having love, losing love. Perrier's poems tell these stories with wit, wisdom and grace.

A few of my favorites: In "Meeting You: A Definitive Plan," a girl desperate for connection falls for a stranger in a fish shop. "On the Principle of Pairing in Nature" is the story of a young woman stalking the wild prairies of night clubs and happy hours to find a suitable mate, without much luck.

Best title: "Ass," which fires off, "Sure, my ex tells me, you can say 'ass'/with anything. For emphasis especially." With humor and bitterness, the narrator relates running into her ex at a backyard party and suffering small talk about how he has a crush on a girl at the office who has a fondness for "black bras and tattoos."

"Academic Affairs," about a fantasy love affair with a colleague, wins the prize for best first line: "Why don't you love me, and we can hit the road together,/cruise the lecture circuit and tell other single people/about the work it takes to make it work." And it only gets better with: "This is how/itinerant scholars of loss communicate: quote, footnote." This line breaks my heart, every single time.

"Just One of Those Things" finishes off with a fury. "Fresh," a stunning long poem, takes the reader on a break-neck journey back to a time of heady sexual exploration while mapping the wilds of the adolescent heart..

With humor, sass and sex appeal, Perrier writes new love lyrics for the new age. Sarah Perrier is the next big thing. Mark my words.

What a great book! I picked up a friend's copy of "Just One of Those Things" and couldn't put it down until I finished the whole thing. The voices in these poems knocked me out - strong, clear, desperate and ferocious. Great stories. There's a world of heart in these poems. Beautiful and surprising, every single one.

I had always wondered the strong cause that ordinary people felt whent hey demonstrated/ got injured and even died during the WTO conferences in Seattle, Italy and New York. That led me to this book, which contains research papers from 4-5 authors, mainly from the 3rd world.

I found it amazing to note how the Transnational Corporations (TNC) of the first-world, browbeat the third world in guise of opening up to competition from outside. Some important points:
- How gloabalization is changing the world's food patterns
- How huge corporations like Monsanto and Cargill have created huge monopolies, whereby they could hold the world population to ransom, a.k.a. the OPEC countries (who individually hardly yield as much power though).
- How in the guise of Intellectual Property Rights, huge corporations patent herbs, plants and crop types, which otherwise have been used in the third world for several hundreds of years.
- How lending institutions like IMF, WB control the destiny of so many poor nations in the world.
- How TNC-led globalization (and thereby greed) has supported tyranny and dictatoships in Africa and South America, and has resulted in the dealths of hundreds of thousands of people over several years.
- How many of the WTO countries, are so poor that they can't even afford to send their diplomats to discuss WTO issues. Also, they don't possess the legal talent by themselves, or hire talent from outside to fight for their cause. Several times they put signatures on documents, not knowing how exactly it would impact them.
- Perhaps the biggest fraud perpetrated by the first world is in the way resolutions are adopted "by consensus" - and NEVER put to vote. The first world has resources and techniques of setting up several working teams which discuss issues with the top 15-20 countries in the world, arrive at a conclusion, and present "the consensus".
- Also, important is the role of leading countries of the third world, like India, South Africa, Malaysia etc., who refused to be beated into submission. This, of course results in a lot of flak in the West-controlled press and television.
- How, even within any first world country, there is a north side and south side, where workers keep losing jobs to globalization. How this has resulted in falling incomes and standard sof living.
- I also agree to a large extent the conclusion reached by the books authors - that the almighty dollar should not drive globalization, but the culture, and life-styles of various countries should also play a huge part in determining global trade policies.

This book contains papers from several authors from different countries. They all explain the problems with the World Trade Organization, how it is essentially run by powerful companies interested in making a profit off the farmers of the third world. The best thing about this book is that it offers different perspectives, different solutions to the same problems. Everyone should read it because it is an excellent book and it covers topics that most of us are ignorant of, while the 75% of the world's population who are farmers are affected by the policies and injustice of this organization every day.

The title is catchy enough. I expected lots of facts and figures in tables and graphs that would illustrate international trade and finance. Was I surprised. There are facts and figures there, even pictures and cartoons. But the authors see the world differently. "The problem..." we are told, "...is not so much that the world is so tightly linked now...but that the links converge in such a small number of hands." The hands they're refering to belong to corporate executives and billionaires. An ongoing theme throughout the book is the old cliche' that the rich get richer while the poor get poorer.
One thing different about the current process of globalization, the authors claim, "is that a number of poorer countries, led by China and Mexico, now have the infrastructure to house practically any industrial or service operation...." What's wrong with that? They object that "...Ford, Boeing, and other global corporations are now setting up state-of-the-art manufacturing plants in countries where wages and other costs are kept extremely low through repression." We can all agree that repression is a bad thing. We may differ on where it's happening. For instance, according to the index of economic freedom constructed by the Heritage Foundation (what the authors call a "corporate think tank") and the Wall Street Journal, China is "mostly unfree" (but not "repressed") and Mexico is "mostly free." "Repressed" countries include Zimbabwe, Iran, Cuba, Iraq, and North Korea. Corporate capitalism does not appear to be causing problems in those countries by any stretch of the imagination. Vietnam is among the repressed, but it's difficult to see how workers who produce sneakers for the Nike company would be better off if Nike weren't there.
Much of the book is devoted to criticizing "globalization claims." Although some free traders will justifiably dismiss this criticism, in my view the authors' attacks will work to strenghthen the case for free trade. Put differently, any economist who wants practice defending free trade can find it reading this book. Warning: the bile may rise in you.
To their credit the authors provide an abundance of endnotes to support their case. They offer some criticism a free trader would appreciate. For example they object to export subsidies and IMF bailouts of banks with troubled loans to developing countries. They even profess to reject protectionism. However the alternative they recommend, "fair trade," is better described as "managed trade."
The authors minimize the role of consumers in the process of globalization. Corporations would not achieve their goals if consumers weren't buying their products. The authors also fail to recognize the importance of property rights in economic development. If the governments of poor countries established and protected property rights, the people would get wealthier. Given that these authors reject international trade and investment as a cause of our prosperity and cannot tolerate disparities of wealth, they'll always remain idealists with axes to grind.

That is the first book on economics I read that does not necessarily employ a lot of incomprehensible terminology. Moreover, it is written for the average reader who wants to get a "first introduction" into the topic. It is definitely not written for people who search any detailed infomation. This book explains perfectly the basic correlations in today's global economy.

A group in our high school had been planning a symposium on the global economy when our advisor suggested that we take a look at this book. "Field Guide" offers a clear, concise description of many of the global issues that confront citizens of both the industrialized and unindustrialized nations. To its credit, it offers both the pros and cons of many of the issues it discusses and offers a resource list for others to get involved. I encourage anyone interested global politics or economics to read this book, share it with a friend, and get involved!