The Politics of expert advice

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Julie E. Czerneda and Jana Paniccia

"In our modern-day world where rumors of conspiracies and covert organizations can spread with the speed of the internet, it's often hard to separate truth from fiction. Down through the centuries there have been groups sworn to protect important artifacts and secrets, perhaps exercising their power and connections -- possibly even mystical affiliations -- to guide the world's future. Now some of science fiction's and fantasy's finest minds offer up fourteen stories of those unseen powers operating for their own purposes, whether on our own world or in far-distant places and other times -- even in fantastical realms. From an unexpected ally who aids Lawrence in Arabia, to an assassin hired to target the one person he'd never want to kill, to a young woman who stumbles into an elfin war in the heart of London, to a man who steals time -- here are unforgettable tales that will start you wondering whether someone is watching you from the shadows or changing your destiny at this very moment"--P. [4] of cover.

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A.J. Prater

"Estuaries are rightly of great interest and concern to the birdwatcher. Most teem with thousands of waders, geese, ducks, gulls and other species that use them at times throughout the year; they are also among the last of the wild places left in Britain and Europe. The 'Birds of Estuaries Enquiry' (sponsored by the Nature Conservancy Council and organised by the BTO, RSPB and the Wildfowl Trust) spanned six years, and Tony Prater's report now provides a detailed insight into the birds which use and, in many cases, depend on this special habitat. Of great interest to birdwatchers, the book also will be essential reading for professional conservationists and all involved in the planning and use of estuaries. It assesses the importance of each estuary and the distribution and numbers of all species generally present, and by setting this in an international framework demonstrates the remarkable importance of the estuaries around these islands. Threats to the fabric of the landscape and its wildlife abound, and estuaries are not exempt. Barrage schemes, industrial and agricultural reclamations and many other pressures exist and are the subject of chapters which survey the situation, now and in the future. The text is graced by John Busby's accomplished and evocative drawings and there are numerous maps and diagrams as well as photographs of typical estuaries. Jacket illustration by John Busby."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

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Robin McKinley

Jake Mendoza lives at the Makepeace Institute of Integrated Dragon Studies in Smokehill National Park. Smokehill is home to about two hundred of the few remaining draco australiensis, which is extinct in the wild. Keeping a preserve for dragons is controversial: detractors say dragons are extremely dangerous and unjustifiably expensive to keep and should be destroyed. Environmentalists and friends say there are no records of them eating humans and they are a unique example of specialist evolution and must be protected. But they are up to eighty feet long and breathe fire.On his first overnight solo trek, Jake finds a dragon—a dragon dying next to the human she killed. Jake realizes this news could destroy Smokehill— even though the dead man is clearly a poacher who had attacked the dragon first, that fact will be lost in the outcry against dragons.But then Jake is struck by something more urgent—he sees that the dragon has just given birth, and one of the babies is still alive. What he decides to do will determine not only their futures, but the future of Smokehill itself.

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[by] John Palfrey

Libraries today are more important than ever. More than just book repositories, libraries can become bulwarks against some of the most crucial challenges of our age: unequal access to education, jobs, and information. In BiblioTech, educator and technology expert John Palfrey argues that anyone seeking to participate in the 21st century needs to understand how to find and use the vast stores of information available online. And libraries, which play a crucial role in making these skills and information available, are at risk. In order to survive our rapidly modernizing world and dwindling government funding, libraries must make the transition to a digital future as soon as possible—by digitizing print material and ensuring that born-digital material is publicly available online. Not all of these changes will be easy for libraries to implement. But as Palfrey boldly argues, these modifications are vital if we hope to save libraries and, through them, the American democratic ideal. Publisher