New Releases by M. Barr

Physicist Stephen M. Barr''s lucid Student''s Guide to Natural Science aims to give students an understanding, in broad outline, of the nature, history, and great ideas of natural science from ancient times to the present, with a primary focus on physics. Barr begins with the contributions of the ancient Greeks, in particular the two great ideas that reality can be understood by the systematic use of reason and that phenomena have natural explanations. He goes on to discuss, among other things, the medieval roots of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century, the role played by religion in fostering the idea of a lawful natural order, and the major breakthroughs of modern physics, including how many newer "revolutionary" theories are in fact related to much older ones. Throughout this thoughtful guide, Barr draws his readers'' attention to the larger themes and trends of scientific history, including the increasing unification and "mathematization" of our view of the physical world that has resulted in the laws of nature appearing more and more as forming a single harmonious mathematical edifice.

United Fiber System, Ltd (UFS) seeks to secure financing for a 600,000 tonnes greenfield pulp mill project in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. It will be somewhat unique in Indonesia in that it will source its fiber entirely from sustainably managed plantations and will generate minimal negative impacts on natural forests and local communities. This brief has been prepared to promote a more informed and transparent dialogue on the proposed project among financial decision makers, policy makers, and other stakeholders. Based on a review of available documents and analyses, CIFOR has major questions regarding the social and environmental sustainability of the planned pulp mill and associated plantations. The issues are first limited information on the plantation development program provided by UFS. Secondly, the proposed project is likely to place direct pressures on the 77,000 ha of natural forest that reportedly remains at the PT Hutan Rindang Banua (PT HRB) plantation concession, and particularly on the 44,000 ha of areas covered by u0091mixed tropical hardwoodu0092 (MTH) that were designated by Jaakko Poyry to be appropriate for plantation development. Thirdly, the development of a new 600,000 tonne pulp mill in South Kalimantan would compound the very significant problem of industrial over capacity that currently exists in Indonesiau0092s forestry sector. Fourth, while the proposed pulp mill and associated plantations could generate significant employment and associated benefits, there is a risk of serious negative impacts on surrounding communities, which have a population of over 60,000 people. Finally, the projectu0092s current ownership structure lacks transparency, and this could lead to a lack of accountability if UFS or its affiliates fail to meet the commitments it is now making. As such, it is essential that financial decision makers, policy makers, and other interested parties design structures for ensuring accountability and transparency on the part of project principals.

This goal of this study is to explore the impact of teacher collaboration on early literacy development in kindergarten. Both empirical and scientific research has shown that collegial collaboration can be a powerful tool for initiating dialogue and creating change. This explorative study utilized qualitative teacher-research methods to document the collaborative processes used by five certificated kindergarten teachers and one student teacher over a six-week period. Findings of the study reveal that collaboration among educators supports both teachers and students by facilitating the identification and implementation of best practices in teaching, designing instruction for specific student needs, and creating a supportive professional atmosphere for teachers.

Lonz of Middle Bass is the story of a man, a woman, a building and an island. It is a unique book, particularly in view of the fact that it not only covers the obvious story of George Lonz and his wife, Fannie, but effectively chronicles the history not only of the Lonz Winery, but also of Middle Bass Island, Ohio from the earliest explorations of Champlain in 1545 through the mid-nineteenth century when the island, as it is known today, began to emerge. The book is a reprint of the scarce and coveted 1982 edition, updated with an Appendix to cover the last 22 years. It also includes the stories from the August, 2000 Put-in-Bay Gazette about the tragedy in July, 2000, when the collapse of a terrace caused one fatality, injured many, and caused the winery to be closed for good earlier than planned. The author of the original version, Mr. Barr, from the grandstand of 21 years of being "summer people", was intrigued with the island story from the beginning of his sojourn. He had an opportunity to know personally many of the people who were George''s contemporaries or were a part of the story. Bits and pieces of the chronicle found the author invading unexpected treasure troves. There was a trip to Toledo to talk with the Roesches about Indian artifacts, a luncheon with the Rameys in San Francisco to learn more of the Lonz husband-wife relationship, the gloomy interior of a New Orleans bookstore to find ancient maps of Lake Erie, and an antique shop in Charleston, South Carolina that reluctantly brought to light the plates of the Perry associates in the Battle of Lake Erie and the drawings of the Golden Eagle breaking ice. There were many, many phone calls to run down leads and a final visit to the Hayes Museum in Fremont, Ohio to find out about some of the island-owned boats. For those who have enjoyed the unique hospitality as offered by this unusual winery, for those who enjoy history - particularly of Middle Bass Island, the Lake Erie Islands or the Lake Erie south shore - and for those who simply enjoy a bottle of wine in an idyllic setting, this book will be interesting reading. Please visit the editor''s web site at http://www.middlebass.org About the Editor Michael Gora is the Middle Bass Island Historian for the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society, and also operates the Middle Bass Island web site. A long-time summer resident, his goal is to spend more time on the island every year. A retired software executive, software developer and physicist, he is the author of over 30 technical papers and three technical books, and has also produced four reprints of Lake Erie Islands historical booklets. He is also the editor of the most complete history of the islands ever published, Lake Erie Islands - Sketches and Stories, which is available from Trafford. Excerpts

A considerable amount of public debate and media print has been devoted to the “war between science and religion.” In his accessible and eminently readable new book, Stephen M. Barr demonstrates that what is really at war with religion is not science itself, but a philosophy called scientific materialism. Modern Physics and Ancient Faith argues that the great discoveries of modern physics are more compatible with the central teachings of Christianity and Judaism about God, the cosmos, and the human soul than with the atheistic viewpoint of scientific materialism. Scientific materialism grew out of scientific discoveries made from the time of Copernicus up to the beginning of the twentieth century. These discoveries led many thoughtful people to the conclusion that the universe has no cause or purpose, that the human race is an accidental by-product of blind material forces, and that the ultimate reality is matter itself. Barr contends that the revolutionary discoveries of the twentieth century run counter to this line of thought. He uses five of these discoveries—the Big Bang theory, unified field theories, anthropic coincidences, Gödel’s Theorem in mathematics, and quantum theory—to cast serious doubt on the materialist’s view of the world and to give greater credence to Judeo-Christian claims about God and the universe. Written in clear language, Barr’s rigorous and fair text explains modern physics to general readers without oversimplification. Using the insights of modern physics, he reveals that modern scientific discoveries and religious faith are deeply consonant. Anyone with an interest in science and religion will find Modern Physics and Ancient Faith invaluable.

Berau district has been one of East Kalimantan''s largest sources of timber since the mid-1980s. Until the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998, most of the district''s formal timber production was conducted by large-scale HPH concession holders, and the vast majority of the fiscal revenues generated flowed to the national government. Over the last several years, considerable volumes of logs have also been harvested illegally both by timber concessionaires and by small-scale manual loggers. Following the onset of Indonesia''s regional autonomy and decentralization processes in late 1998, district officials moved aggressively to establish greater administrative control over the forest resources within their jurisdiction. They did so by allocating large numbers of small-scale forest conversion licenses, known as IPPK permits. Many of these were assigned to ''foundations'' established by local entrepreneurs to coordinate the creation of logging ventures with village cooperatives and other community groups in parts of Berau with valuable stands of timber. When the central government pressured district governments to stop issuing IPPK permits within the officially designated ''Forest Estates'' in late 2000, Berau officials shifted tactics and began allocating a new type of logging permit, known as IPKTM, in forested areas where individuals or community groups held titles of ownership or other types of land certificates. District officials have also pressured PT Inhutani I, the state forestry enterprise owned by the central government, and other HPH concession holders to enter into equity partnerships with the district government. This has given the district government a direct stake in protecting the operations ...

Our future can turn out in one of several ways, and it is humanity that must make the decision of which one it will be. Only one will be truly to mankind''s advantage. Why this is so is the thrust of Our Ending Dark Age. Its premise is that when humans began using tools, we began to separate from nature. The long process of going from nature to separating from nature is our Dark Age, or Age of Adjustment. Mankind''s best future is that wherein he is completely separate from nature. Why this is so is analyzed in Our Ending Dark Age as humankind''s biology, psychology, evolution, economics, education, entrepreneurship and society are examined. This is done using the platform of history as the tie that holds all of these seemingly divergent subjects together. The role religion and opinion play in deciding the course of civilization is examined. The reader is then taken on an excursion that begins with the cellular basis of human anatomy, the meaning of Soul and Spirit, and traces history from our hunter-gatherer days to the magnificent future that awaits us if we put our minds to it.

[Abstract] This thesis explores the question "What is the experience of ceremony as a means of self-transformation?" utilizing the heuristic research model. Heuristic investigation was used because of the complex and personal nature of the phenomenon. A comprehensive review of the literature indicated that no similar study had been done but did reveal a wealth of information focusing on ceremony from anthropological, sociological and religious perspectives. Limited research was available on ceremony as a psychologically transformative process as experienced by individual participants. The researcher immersed in a process of self-search using the heuristic research techniques of self-dialogue, indwelling and focusing. Data was obtained from eleven co-researchers who shared personal descriptions of their experience of ceremony as a means to self-transformation during open-ended taped interviews. Each interview was transcribed, reviewed for themes and synthesized into an individual depiction, using immersion, incubation and illumination. The individual depictions of each co-researcher illuminated several themes 1) Ceremony as a state of consciousness created by the focus and intentionality of the participant and characterized by altered time, space, and sensory perceptions; 2) The transformative ceremonial process as encountering a perceived self-limitation--physical, emotional, psychological or mental--which is moved beyond/resolved by action (doing) or letting go (being); 3) The resultant self-transformative effect as a) self-empowerment through enhanced self-concept and self-in-the world behavior and b) spirituality or transpersonal connection with Nature, humanity and the Universe. The findings of this study have significant implications for the field of psychotherapy and for the culture at large.

[Abstract] This thesis explores the question "What is the experience of ceremony as a means of self-transformation?" utilizing the heuristic research model. Heuristic investigation was used because of the complex and personal nature of the phenomenon. A comprehensive review of the literature indicated that no similar study had been done but did reveal a wealth of information focusing on ceremony from anthropological, sociological and religious perspectives. Limited research was available on ceremony as a psychologically transformative process as experienced by individual participants. The researcher immersed in a process of self-search using the heuristic research techniques of self-dialogue, indwelling and focusing. Data was obtained from eleven co-researchers who shared personal descriptions of their experience of ceremony as a means to self-transformation during open-ended taped interviews. Each interview was transcribed, reviewed for themes and synthesized into an individual depiction, using immersion, incubation and illumination. The individual depictions of each co-researcher illuminated several themes 1) Ceremony as a state of consciousness created by the focus and intentionality of the participant and characterized by altered time, space, and sensory perceptions; 2) The transformative ceremonial process as encountering a perceived self-limitation--physical, emotional, psychological or mental--which is moved beyond/resolved by action (doing) or letting go (being); 3) The resultant self-transformative effect as a) self-empowerment through enhanced self-concept and self-in-the world behavior and b) spirituality or transpersonal connection with Nature, humanity and the Universe. The findings of this study have significant implications for the field of psychotherapy and for the culture at large.