Product Description

In this groundbreaking book, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Green Book Thomas M. Kostigen reveals the vital missing link in today's environmental crisis: how we as individuals are connected to the most tenuous geography on the planet. Despite the recent prominence of "green" issues in the news, the direct relationship between our actions and the earth is too often ignored. But the seemingly insignificant things we do every day have the power to literally alter the landscape in the ongoing battle to resuscitate the planet.

Customer Reviews (8)

So simple!
Kostigen sets out to write a book that informs us how connected we are to each other and how our actions affect people and environments we don't see.I am someone who cares about the environment and have done some reading on the topic and thus this book provided nothing new.If you have not read anything on the topic then you may find this book informative--I found it redundant and simplistic.Here are some examples to justify the latter comment:

Page 174: "I'd swap a burger for a salad every once in a while.This is how water-saving actions here affect people, places, and things 'there.'"Elsewhere in the book he suggests maybe not flushing the toilet to conserve water (of course there are toilet water conservation kits that may be a better and aromatically preferred choice).

Page 199: "I can--we can--make a simple difference by investigating where our clothes come from and whether they are made sustainably.It isn't easy figuring it out."Then he goes on to talk about plastic.One thing I struggle with is if it isn't easy for someone who writes a book on the topic to figure it out, he is not being very helpful by telling people to investigate where our clothes come from.

He concludes on page 207: "We can just as easily change its [the Earth] course again--for the better.Embracing knowledge and creating awareness can reshape our lives and make the future more certain."

Maybe this is my main problem with the book; change is NOT going to be easy and fixing the problems we have created is not going to be as simple as having a salad once in a while or not flushing the toilet sometimes.It is going to take a change in the way we live, interact, and act "civilized."

Why do YOU want to save the planet?
Green this, recycle that.It's everywhere now--in ads, on tv and in our stores.While it's awesome for people to be jumping on the green bandwagon, I hope that they bring more than just good intentions and "green-washed" minds.

WHY should we recycle?WHY should we change our lifestyle?This book provides some of the best answers to these WHYs with each chapter introducing readers to a place on our planet that suffers the consequences of people's choices.And these places are not limited to the U.S. or a particular country.These places range from Israel to the Great Lakes to the middle of the Pacific Ocean.There are plenty of great books on HOW to live a greener lifestyle, but I absolutely recommend this book to those who want to know WHY these lifestyle changes are necessary.

I learned a lot of new things from this book.It was an easy and quick read.The author gives a good amount of information (not too heavy but still extremely detailed).I definitely recommend this book for young people (middle school & high school) because I think it's something they should be aware of.A great book for adults too.It's something worth discussing.

A read worth discussion
Interesting read. Not sure what to do with this information, but it is definitely persuasive. The world is coming to an end...haha just kidding... but really.

Informative
The book gives lots of problems that I was not aware of in a different view.

Should be required reading
Book should be required reading for middle school thru college. This is type of book that people like Oprah should lend their weight to in their personal clubs. If just 50% of the world's population read this book and followed some of the small suggestions for improvement, generations of people would benefit.I urge everyone to read this book - it is so interesting and presents facts easily understood - and change something in their life style to help save the habitable world. ... Read more

Product Description
Clay comes home to L.A. for Christmas vacation and re-enters a landscape of limitless privilege and moral entropy, where everyone drives Porsches, dines at Spago, and snorts mountains of cocaine. He tries to renew feelings for his girlfriend, Blair, and for his best friend from high school, Julian, who is careering into hustling and heroin. Clay's holiday turns into a dizzying spiral of desperation that takes him through the relentless parties in glitzy mansions, seedy bars, and underground rock clubs. Morally barren, ethically bereft and tinged with implicit violence, "Less Than Zero" is a shocking coming-of-age novel about the casual nihilism that comes with youth and money. "An extraordinarily accomplished first novel." - "New Yorker." "One of the most disturbing novels I've read in a long time. It possesses an unnerving air of documentary reality." - Michiko Kakutani, "New York Times." "The Catcher in the Rye for the MTV generation." - "USA Today." "Remarkable. A killer - sexy, sassy, sad." - "Village Voice." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (251)

Boring!
This book is so boring! I cannot believe that I wasted my time reading it. The book might deal with rich kids problems in Beverly Hills and the problems may be real but gee nothing happens in the book! It is like the book just goes around in circles forever. Would never recommend this book to anyone!

Just like new
The book arrived on time and was just like new, so I recommend shipper.

As for the book, it's very stream of conscious and dark.I enjoyed it and would recommend it, but only for those that enjoy dark books.

Like, oh, my gosh--are sociopaths real?
Nostalgic for the 80's? Want a peek into the cold, hard truth of what life was like for teenagers from Beverly Hills High School and other upper class schools in LA? Less than Zero is a shockingly realistic depiction of teenage life exactly how it was in the rich neighborhoods of Los Angeles during the 1980s. The moral structure of society is falling apart and this started happening long before reality TV or high school massacres like Columbine. If you think rich kids have it all, you are gravely mistaken. Enter a world of disillusioned sociopaths. Only brave truth seekers should read this book. If you have the guts to read it, you will discover what it was and still is like to be a child of the rich, successful movie moguls that plague the moral fabric of America through mass media brainwashing. Ever been to a ritzy, movie star flogged restaurant like Spagos with your dad? I have. It's not as glamorous as you may have dreamed. Less than Zero is more truthful and realistic than reality TV. A must read if you want the raw truth at its core or if you simply want to learn how to be a sociopath yourself. Just joking! Looking forward to reading Bret Easton Ellis's new "brutal" sequel, Imperial Bedrooms.

After nihilism, not much else.
B.E.E. can write in an interesting manner. Little phrases resonate in your mind, partly through repetition, partly just because they just great little summations of ideas - "people are afraid to merge"..."disappear here". There are memorable interactions. But you go through the book, and people talk about this material thing or this trend and then it becomes obvious you are just following a bunch of empty, nihilistic people, and nothing really seems to happen. Well, I guess I can remembering one major bad revelation. But...why? Maybe you love this book if you can really relate to nihilistic feelings? Or maybe get something out of being shocked by the lifestyle? I don't know...I definitely didn't hate it, and I got through it okay (I stop reading a lot of books 1/4-1/2 way). I guess I just didn't get much out of it. (PS I am 34 and I knew all the references.)

Less than Zero
After all the hype, I expected more.At this moment, it is too depressing to read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent planning tool for government
As a CPA and candidate for controller of Montgomery County, PA, it is refreshing to see the long-term planning, comparison, functional issue review, and the "watchdog" functions of a controller so well laidout. Montgomery County will be well served to use this planning approach.

Exemplary Urban Studies Text and Public Policy Guide
Please tell me it's not this easy to run a city.If all the Giulianis, Rendells, and Daleys of the world would just implement this new direction for urban america, our cities would not be afflicted with the ills theycurrently suffer.Every big city resident should demand that localgovernment run as recommended in this book.Students, policyprofessionals, elected officials, and urbanites everywhere should make thisbook a part of their libraries.

An insightful vision for the future of cities.
I am a passionate city fan and wish every mayor in the country would read this book and implement the policies the authors advocate.There are no quick fixes to the problems shared by large American cities (crime,poverty, decay). As successful cities prove over and over, local governmentmust concentrate on the basics -- improving schools, reducing crime,lowering taxes -- to make the city a place where people want to be insteadof a place people want to avoid.If Philadelphia would adopt therecommendations of this book, the city would truly be a great one.

This book is a progressive way of looking at urban America
Jonathan Saidel and his staff at the City Controller's Office have truly revolutionized the way city government looks at urban policy in 21st century Philadelphia. This initiative demonstrates how municipalgovernments can spearhead positive change in urban America.Thesocioeconomic proposals demand serious consideration in an ever-competitiveurban environment.Philadelphia can now be seen as a motivating force forimproved urban life.Citizens now can view government as a partner forimproved quality of life.

Landmark Public Policy Publication
This book makes concrete, achievable, realistic suggestions for reform in Philadelphia which will serve as a model for public policy direction in cities across the US.Mandel, Babyak, and Volpe have written thedefinitive text to lead Philadelphia into the next century.PANUD alsowould be an excellent textbook for public policy, urban studies, andgovernment courses at the college and graduate levels. ... Read more

Product Description
A profile of singer Whitney Houston discusses her childhood achievements, her behind-the-scenes personality, the effect her success has had on her life, and her relationships with her staff and other celebrities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

The Greatest Disappointment of All
Oh please, read the book, wasn't thrilled. It had it's amusing points, but I think that Mr. Ammons has a vendetta against Whitney and this is the payback. I am no where near a Whitney houston fan and I read this with the intention of having more fuel to add to my fire- but this was no kerosene. I often got the impression that though this was supposed to be a "tell-all", Mr. Ammons was reluctant to diverge a lot of information he could have told. Maybe he's saving that for a follow-up, who knows? who cares? This book is best left in the store.

What a joke?
Sounds to me like Kevin wrote this book to make a quick buck and to get back at Regina.And Kevin was just as scanless as Regina he had a wife and children, however, was having an affair with Regina because of the promise of a record deal.Most of the things that were written about Whitney was not original. I could have wrote this book myself based on gathering information from previous articles written on Whitney.He should have wrote a novel about him and Regina and their scanless ways.I am glad that I waited for this book to come out in paper.

I enjoyed this book
I enjoyed this book on Whitney Houston and I know personally that a lot of what Kevin Ammons says in the book is true. I took away one star, as the latter part of the book sounds like research and not first hand knowledge.

Exploitation of a star for a quick buck
I wanted to read a biography on one of my favorite singers that will give a realistic, yet, smart look on her life. Good Girl, Bad Girl is nothing but a piece of trash written by a man who either wanted to get back onWhitney for something, or was looking to make a quick buck at her expense.I am aware that celebrity lives behind the spotlight might not bewonderful---but I still feel that they are entitled to their privacy. I amso glad I didn't buy this book, I returned it to my friend the very nextday, I didn't bother to finish it.

A well written book on Whitney Houston .
Good girl, Bad girl was a well written book on Whitney Houston, but unfortunately the book wasunauthorized and none of us know if any of the information was true. I will say that many of his comments were true, Iknow because I am a trueWhitney Houston fan. Getting to the contents ofthe rest of the book I liked it,Ammons words seemed truely sincere heseemed to know information only some one close to Whitney would know. I gave this book 2 stars, because it is an unauthorized, so for that I tookI took away some stars. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Thomson Gale on February 8, 2004. The length of the article is 1248 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: El drama de la hermandad: Río místico, filme de Clint Eastwood.(Reseña de película)
Author: Mario Saavedra
Publication: Siempre! (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 8, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 50Issue: 2643Page: 74(2)

Article Type: Reseña de película

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Proceso, published by CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V. on June 12, 2005. The length of the article is 700 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: "El leñador".(Crimen inconfesable)(Reseña de película)
Author: Javier Betancourt
Publication: Proceso (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 12, 2005
Publisher: CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V.
Issue: 1493Page: 71(2)

Article Type: Reseña de película

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Epoca, published by Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA) on February 6, 2009. The length of the article is 324 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: La caza de la exclusiva.(El desafîo: Frost contra Nixon)(Reseòa de pelîcula)
Author: Belên Ester Casas
Publication: Epoca (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 6, 2009
Publisher: Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA)
Issue: 1232Page: 68(1)

Article Type: Reseòa de pelîcula

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Epoca, published by Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA) on March 18, 2001. The length of the article is 4848 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: El hombre sin sombra.(TT: Man with no shadow.)(Reseña)
Publication: Epoca (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 18, 2001
Publisher: Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA)
Page: 75

Article Type: Reseña

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Edicional Siempre on January 8, 2003. The length of the article is 819 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: De secuestros y otras paranoias. (Cine).(Reseña de película)
Author: Tomás Pérez Turrent
Publication: Siempre! (Refereed)
Date: January 8, 2003
Publisher: Edicional Siempre
Volume: 49Issue: 2586Page: 74(1)

Article Type: Reseña de película

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This digital document is an article from Proceso, published by CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V. on December 14, 2003. The length of the article is 732 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: "Mystic River".(Reseña de película)
Author: Javier Betancourt
Publication: Proceso (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 14, 2003
Publisher: CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V.
Issue: 1415Page: 73(2)

Article Type: Reseña de película

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Epoca, published by Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA) on August 6, 2000. The length of the article is 634 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Nostalgia de la infancia: "Mi perro Skip".(TT: Nostalgia of a childhood: "my dog Skip".)(Reseña)
Author: Pedro Crespo
Publication: Epoca (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 6, 2000
Publisher: Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA)
Page: 70

Article Type: Reseña

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