Cambria Press

Love of the land; essential farm and conservation readings from an American golden age, 1880-1920.

Jack sifted his choice of writers through the opinions of top scholars in agriculture and conservation, and came up with 51 readings that reflect not only thinking at the time, but also ideas that have become important since. He actually begins in 1770. Among the better known writers are Jefferson, de Tocqueville, Emerson, Muir, Thoreau, Olmsted, Whitman, Theodore Roosevelt, Frederick Jackson Turner, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Veblen, and Henry Wallace. There is no index. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Obesity and its related diseases in China; impact of the nutrition transition in urban and rural adults.

Countries of the developing world, including China, are seeing dramatic changes in food availability, dietary intake patterns, and overall lifestyle, which are resulting in a prevalence of chronic, non-communicable diseases, particularly obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Weng (Kaiser Permanente Foundation, California) and Caballero (public health, Johns Hopkins U.) present findings from a study aimed at quantifying and comparing obesity and related disorders in Chinese populations living in urban or rural environments. Utilizing data on dietary intake, physical activity, lifestyle, body composition, and a series of biochemical tests to quantify each component of the metabolic syndrome, the study provides a clearer picture of the patterns of the metabolic syndrome in urban and rural areas, and will allow a more effective use of the simple indicators to predict risk of chronic diseases. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)