Bookview Non Fiction Book Reviews #1

WEATHERING THE STORM:

TORNADOES, TELEVISION, AND TURMOIL

by Gary A. England

Emmy Award winner weather forecaster Gary A. England works in "tornado alley." At station KWTV in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Gary is considered to be a maverick in the field. He has pioneered the use of leading-edge technology such as Doppler radar to provide the people of tornado alley more time to seek shelter from deadly storms. Gary England, realizing that severe weather is a almost constant possibility, has focused on increasing public safety with his immensely popular public presentation which have reached over 250,000 people. At his station Gary is always ready to interpret the radar, direct storm chasers in the field, and provide his viewers with severe weather warnings and safety instructions. Gary has never been afraid to challenge prevailing norms or stepping ahead of the conservative practices of the National Weather Service. With a look at the evolution of television weather forecasting and the impact of technology on forecasting deadly storms, this book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the world behind the television camera by a man who has won his audience's respect. A fascinating read.

SMOKESCREEN:

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY COVER-UP

by Philip J. Hilts

What do you really know about the tobacco industry? What do you know about the secrets, the denials, the delaying tactics, the outright lies that the tobacco industry has foisted on us all? In this book the falsehoods are documented. How one company markets cigarettes to children as young as twelve-year-old, along with the surveys it uses with youngsters to determine what they want. Why Congress has voted with tobacco interests year after year, including how much money key Congressmen take from the tobacco industry. The ingredients of the modern cigarette: shredded tobacco leaf, ammonia, and scraps from the floor. A profile of the most important whistle-blower, Merrell Williams, with a look at his life and his motives in taking the B&W papers. An inside picture of what is going on at the Food and Drug Administration, which is planning to regulate cigarettes as drugs for the first time. And so much more. A full expose' of the tobacco industry's forty-year war on the health of every American. A shocking account about the dangers of smoking and why the tobacco industry is interested in profits at the expensive and the health of your love ones.

A GARDEN OF UNEARTHLY DELIGHTS:

BIOENGINEERING AND THE FUTURE OF FOOD

by Robin Mather

What is going on with our food? Today scientists have the ability to alter the genetic makeup of our food and that is increasing at a staggering a pace. With that the near-utopian vision of biotechnology where "no one goes hungry," is a vision that has been embraced by corporate giants. From DNA-manipulated pigs, giant fish, altered tomatoes, and hormone-spiked milk--all cost- efficient, flavor-enhanced creations ready to move out of the lab and into the supermarket for a highly profitable payout. But is there a danger to these "techno-foods?" The dairy business is not for wimps. The hours are long because the cows must be milked everyday and the entire dairy operation is very expensive. Originally, to increase milk production it was done through breeding. But Monsanto introduce Posilac, a bovine growth hormone that increases milk production. Is it safe for humans? Time will tell Broiler chickens are what you by cut up at the supermarket and fast-food operations. And their is a great demand for them. And so broilers are reared in long low-sheds with hundreds of others packed together in crowed conditions, to deep cost down. Do these broilers have stress and why are their beaks cut off? What is the safety of these foods and what influence can the consumer have on food production. Read this book and find out.

THE GREAT DINOSAUR EXTINCTION CONTROVERSY

by Charles Officer & Jake Page

In 180 Nobel Laureate Luis Alvarez presented his theory of the dinosaurs' final desire. A huge meteorite crashed into the earth and raised a cloud of dust that caused darkness for years, suppressing photosynthesis, which impeded plant growth, and that eventually starved the dinosaurs. This theory was embraced why the public and the media. it became the hottest scientific fact. As popular as it was the public and the media, many in the scientific community did not support this theory, and later research showed the impossibility of such an idea. But why was the theory of the end of the dinosaur era by a huge meteorite so readily accepted by all? In this book the authors chronicle the story how this theory became so widespread, the way in which it became "common knowledge," the controversy it caused, and the ample evidence that proves the theory wrong. Also present is an alternative theory for the mass extinctions that occurred at the end of the Cretaceoys period. A good examination of the scientific method, the the media and science, the general public, and how knowledge is disseminated.

THE LAST HARVEST:

THE GENETIC GAMBLE THAT THREATENS TO DESTROY AMERICAN AGRICULTURE

by Paul Raeburn

As consumers we have come to expect our produce to be large, attractive, and unblemished. But to achieve that our crops are being genetically altered to produce perfectly uniform, unmarked fruits, vegetables, and grains. But this uniformity poses a serious threat to American agriculture, which became evident in 1970 when 15 percent of our corn crop was wiped out by a fungus that thrived because of the corn's genetic uniformity. But what is worse is that the agricultural gene pool is being drained as the tropical and subtropical areas where wild crop relatives can be harvested are rapidly shrinking as Third World farmers are discarding these crops in favor of modern commercial crops. Other problems include global warning, the depletion of the ozone layer, and polluted air and water, which also endangers our crops. The Last Harvest chronicles the threats to our food supply and what we must do to try to avert this disaster. A wake-up call we should all head.

Copyright (c) 1995 by MatrixZine matrixzine@aol.com. All rights reserved. These reviews many be freely distributed with proper attribution. Copies may be printed for non-commercial use. Redistribution, publication, or archiving of these reviews on any other terms require my consent.

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