Few words strike such fear in the minds of travelers. In cities around the world, lurking beneath the plush blankets of otherwise pristine-looking hotel beds are tiny bloodthirsty beasts just waiting for weary wanderers to surrender to a vulnerable slumber. Though bed bugs today have infested the globe, the common bed bug is not a new pest at all. Indeed, as Brooke Borel reveals in this unusual history, this most-reviled species may date back over 250,000 years, wreaking havoc on our collective psyche while even inspiring art, literature, and music—in addition to vexatious red welts.   In Infested, Borel introduces readers to the biological and cultural histories of these amazingly adaptive insects, and the myriad ways in which humans have responded to them. She travels to meet with scientists who are rearing bed bug colonies—even by feeding them with their own blood (ouch!)—and to the stages of musicals performed in honor of the pests. She explores the history of bed bugs and their apparent disappearance in the 1950s after the introduction of DDT, charting how current infestations have flourished in direct response to human chemical use as well as the ease of global travel. She also introduces us to the economics of bed bug infestations, from hotels to homes to office buildings, and the expansive industry that has arisen to combat them. Hiding during the day in the nooks and seams of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, dresser tables, wallpaper, or any clutter around a bed, bed bugs are thriving and eager for their next victim. By providing fascinating details on bed bug science and behavior as well as a captivating look into the lives of those devoted to researching or eradicating them, Infested is sure to inspire at least a nibble of respect for these tenacious creatures—while also ensuring that you will peek beneath the sheets with prickly apprehension.

    She’s out of a job, out of time, and running on fumes. When she receives a personal invitation to visit the picturesque town of Granite Harbor, Maine, she jumps at the chance to start fresh. For game warden Eli Young, life is simpler when he’s exploring the back roads of Maine. In the north woods, he doesn’t have to deal with town politics or his soon-to-be ex-wife. But a chance meeting with a brokenhearted newcomer leaves him tangled. He should walk away—except, now that he’s met her, he can’t turn back. When a young woman goes missing in town, tensions rise, and everyone becomes a suspect. Eli doesn’t think things can get any more complicated…until a picture of Alex is discovered at a gruesome crime scene. In a town where trust is hard to come by and ghosts from the past haunt its citizens in the broad light of day, the question isn’t whether Eli and Alex can save what’s left of their hearts…but whether they’ll live to see tomorrow. ​

    With a deft and versatile empathy Kingsolver dissects the motives that drive denial and belief in a precarious world.Flight Behavior transfixes from its opening scene, when a young woman's narrow experience of life is thrown wide with the force of a raging fire. In the lyrical language of her native Appalachia, Barbara Kingsolver bares the rich, tarnished humanity of her novel's inhabitants and unearths the modern complexities of rural existence. Characters and reader alike are quickly carried beyond familiar territory here, into the unsettled ground of science, faith, and everyday truces between reason and conviction. Dellarobia Turnbow is a restless farm wife who gave up her own plans when she accidentally became pregnant at seventeen. Now, after a decade of domestic disharmony on a failing farm, she has settled for permanent disappointment but seeks momentary escape through an obsessive flirtation with a younger man. As she hikes up a mountain road behind her house to a secret tryst, she encounters a shocking sight: a silent, forested valley filled with what looks like a lake of fire. She can only understand it as a cautionary miracle, but it sparks a raft of other explanations from scientists, religious leaders, and the media. The bewildering emergency draws rural farmers into unexpected acquaintance with urbane journalists, opportunists, sightseers, and a striking biologist with his own stake in the outcome. As the community lines up to judge the woman and her miracle, Dellarobia confronts her family, her church, her town, and a larger world, in a flight toward truth that could undo all she has ever believed. Flight Behavior takes on one of the most contentious subjects of our time: climate change. With a deft and versatile empathy Kingsolver dissects the motives that drive denial and belief in a precarious world.

    To mark the event, National Geographic magazine commissioned seven articles that explore the fascinating issues—including demographics, food security, climate change, fertility trends, managing biodiversity—surrounding this topic, which are collected for the first time in this special ebook.   Envi­ronment editor Robert Kunzig starts by sketching out a natural history of population. The issues associated with population growth seem endless: poverty, food and water supply, world health, climate change, deforestation, fertility rates, and more. In additional chapters Elizabeth Kolbert explores a new era—the “Anthropocene,” or the age of man—defined by our massive impact on the planet, which will endure long after our cities have crumbled; and takes us to the Mediterranean, where she delves into issues associated with increasing ocean acidification. In Bangladesh, Don Belt explores how the people of this crowded region can teach us about adapting to rising sea levels. In “Food Ark” we travel deep within the earth and around the globe to explore the seed banks that are preserving the variety of food species we may need to increase food production on an increasingly crowded planet. In Brazil, Cynthia Gournay explores the phenomenon of “Machisma” and shows how a mix of female empowerment and steamy soap operas helped bring down Brazil’s fertility rate and stoke its vibrant economy. Additionally we explore threats to biodiversity, and the return of cities—which may be the solution to many of our population woes. Join National Geographic on this incredible journey to explore our rapidly growing planet.

    Elsewhere, a team of scientists transverses the tundra, sleeping in tents, surviving on frozen chocolate, and measuring the snow every ten kilometers in a quest to understand the effects of albedo, the snow's reflective ability to cool the earth beneath it.Climate change isn't an abstraction in the far North. It is a reality that has already dramatically altered daily life, especially that of the native peoples who still live largely off the land and sea. Because nature shows her footprints so plainly here, the region is also a lure for scientists intent on comprehending the complexities of climate change. In this gripping account, Charles Wohlforth follows the two groups as they navigate a radically shifting landscape. The scientists attempt to decipher its smallest elements and to derive from them a set of abstract laws and models. The natives draw on uncannily accurate traditional knowledge, borne of long experience living close to the land. Even as they see the same things-a Native elder watches weather coming through too fast to predict; a climatologist notes an increased frequency of cyclonic systems-the two cultures struggle to reconcile their vastly different ways of comprehending the environment.With grace, clarity, and a sense of adventure, Wohlforth--a lifelong Alaskan--illuminates both ways of seeing a world in flux, and in the process, helps us to navigate a way forward as climate change reaches us all.

    They are all amazing characters who manage to carry a deep knowledge of their chosen species within a distinctly quirky shell. Other animals making an appearance include otters , house sparrows, robins , owls, bats, badgers, dolphins, toads, dragonflies, moths, foxes and adders.Hugh Warwick, animal enthusiast and hedgehog fanatic, writes a series of affectionate and quirky homages to the animals of the British Isles, composed of fieldwork and interviews with the people who love and conserve them.

    It is silted up with the memories and artefacts of past voyages. It is the habitat for an astonishing range of wildlife. And for the people who live and work on the estuary, it is a way of life unlike any other - one most would not trade for anything, despites its dangers.Rachel Lichtenstein has travelled the length and breadth of the estuary many times and in many vessels, from hardy tug boats to stately pleasure cruisers to an inflatable dinghy. And during these crossing she has gathered an extraordinary chorus of voices: mudlarkers and fishermen, radio pirates and champion racers, the men who risk their lives out on the water and the women who wait on the shore.From the acclaimed author of Brick Lane and Rodinsky's Room, Estuary is a thoughtful and intimate portrait of a profoundly British place. With a clear eye and a sharp ear, Rachel Lichtenstein captures the essence of a community and an environment, examining how each has shaped and continues to shape the other.

    From goji berries to food-mile free sweet potatoes, James’ revolutionary approach to edible gardening will show you how to grow, cook and eat all manner of superfood crops that are just as easy (if not easier) and far more exciting to grow than the ‘ration book’ favourites.Inspiring, fun and full of plant know-how, this book is set to revolutionise the whole concept of ‘growing your own’ for newbie growers and seasoned allotment veterans alike. You’ll never look at your garden the same way again!

    As the field of environmental science continues to evolve, this highly readable guide presents a full spectrum of views and information for students to evaluate issues and make informed decisions. An extensive resource package integrates text and digital media in an easy-to-use format designed to assist instructors in classroom preparation.

    Named Officer of the Year in 1997, Kathy’s experience translates into exciting page-turning tales of the men and women of the LAPD sworn to protect and to serve, while battling bureaucracy, bad guys, and bullets. Kathy presents Books 1 - 3 in her best selling Deadly Thriller full-length books: A DOZEN DEADLY ROSES: Someone wants her dead…Police officer Jade Donovan thought life was going well: a sweet four-year-old son, a good job, and a promotion in her future. But things have taken a dangerous turn. She’s being stalked. Her predator delivers dead roses to Jade, each time the threats more descriptive, more terrifying. He had nothing to live for.Former cop Mac Stryker lost everything years ago: his wife, his daughter, and his career, which he drowned with whiskey. Now nearly five years sober, Mac is slowly rebuilding his life. He’s got his badge back and a newfound purpose: to help his partner find the man stalking and threatening her. A DEADLY BLESSING:(A Barnes and Noble Best Nook Book Original of the Year)Politics is a dirty business…When LAPD Detective Maddie Divine is called to a private meeting with the mayor and the governor, her instincts kick into high alert. Young women are disappearing, but why all the political secrecy? Maddie throws herself into finding the answers—a good distraction from her crumbling marriage. But things are about to get worse—in more ways than one.But death is dirty, too.When one girl is found dead and no one claims the grisly deed, the clock continues to tick, and Maddie is running out of time. If her suspicions are right, death isn’t the only thing the kidnapped girls have to fear—clues point to the involvement of a notorious sex-trafficker. Will Maddie become the next victim? A DEADLY JUSTICE: She thought the past was put to rest…Detective Maddie Divine is back and paired-up with fellow detective, Jade Donovan, to solve the brutal murder of a 16-year-old-girl. Why would someone kill an all-American girl? Has the serial rapist they’ve been searching for just become a murderer? Manipulation and deception meet Maddie and Jade at every turn as they question who has the motive to kill. But now it’s back for vengeance.While Maddie tries to come to terms with the recent death of her husband, working with the police therapist before the guilt and anger she feels affects her job, Jade is up against a vindictive sergeant who has an ax to grind against her. Twists and turns lead Maddie and Jade down a rabbit hole, intertwining Maddie’s past with the present. All of these crimes are connected by a single thread, but can they figure it out before Maddie becomes the next victim? Or will her past become a living nightmare?

    Deciding to use the arts to her advantage, she begins to take small acting and modeling gigs here and there. As fate would have it, Reina is given an opportunity that could change the course of her life – pretend to be amnesia-stricken Hudson Gray’s fiancée, and she will not only have access to the millionaire but the small fortune she’s being offered to play the role as well. A car accident takes more from Hudson than he knows right away. It not only leaves him in pain physically, but he also suffers from amnesia. Trusting those around him, he never expects that the woman who calls herself his fiancée is a fake while he goes through the process of having to learn and love her all over again. With time, Reina begins to develop real feelings for Hudson. She believes she’s finally going to have the life she’s always dreamed of and a handsome, wealthy man as a bonus. There’s just… that part about this all being a job… that slowly begins to eat away at Reina. And if she isn’t careful, Hudson will find out the truth. This would cause her to not only lose the man she’s fallen in love with but her opportunity to take over the black ballet circuit as well.

     They want her to do something, and they're willing to pay good money. But, these people aren't asking — they're insisting. Now, Claire finds herself in a bizarre, unpredictable setting, surrounded by threatening men with uncertain goals and terrifying desires. Faced with shocking revelations and a deepening mystery, she must find a way to escape the inescapable, before they force her to do the unimaginable.

    The design should incorporate flexibility for dealing with seasonal changes, as well as long-term changes in wastewater quality and future regulations. Good planning and design, therefore, must be based on five major steps:characterization of the raw wastewater quality and effluent, pre-design studies to develop alternative processes and selection of final process train, detailed design of the selected alternative, contraction, and operation and maintenance of the completed facility. Engineers, scientists, and financial analysts must utilize principles from a wide range of disciplines: engineering, chemistry, microbiology, geology, architecture, and economics to carry out the responsibilities of designing a wastewater treatment plant. The objective of this book is to present the technical and nontechnical issues that are most commonly addressed in the planning and design reports for wastewater treatment facilities prepared by practicing engineers. Topics discussed include facility planning, process description, process selection logic, mass balance calculations, design calculations, and concepts for equipment sizing. Theory, design, operation and maintenance, trouble shooting, equipment selection and specifications are integrated for each treatment process. Thus delineation of such information for use by students and practicing engineers is the main purpose of this book.

    So when a poor, straight-A student goes missing in a small town outside Atlanta, Nola vows to bring her home. But in a case that already cuts close to her own wounded heart, she discovers the teenager is only the latest girl to vanish into gangland vice.Fearing for the naive victims, Nola channels her boiling rage into working alone. But as she pushes further into a shadowy conspiracy, even her lethal fists and deadly marksmanship may not be enough to save innocent lives.Can Nola free the captives before she is silenced?Surrender the Fear is the haunting first book in the Nola James crime fiction series. If you like powerful women, vigilante enforcement, and brutal hand-to-hand combat, then you'll love R.D. Brady's dark mystery.Buy Surrender the Fear to put evil in the crosshairs today!

    And deadly. Born into the finest of Danish aristocracy, lovely Brekka Toft is drawn to the untamed wilderness of the American West. After being told it is perfectly safe, she travels to see the legendary red rocks of the Utah Territory only to find that the glorious scenery comes with bandits, hostile Indians, fearsome animals, magnificent storms, and a terrifying wildfire. Even her trusted escort from home now feels threatening. Can she trust her life to a seemingly capable, well-respected local rancher? After all, he is dangerously handsome.