Jewish-American Heritage Month

It's Jewish-American Heritage Month and we are celebrating with some great books on display and available to check out at the Whole Earth Library at the Thoreau Center for Sustainability. Topping the list we have Susan Chevlowe's "The Jewish Identity Project: New American Photography. Susan Chevlowe is an Assistant Curator at The Jewish Museum in New York. Her project focuses visually on what it means to be Jewish in the United States in the early 21st Century. In addition, we have selected works by noted Jewish-American writers including Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, Studs Terkel, Howard Zinn, Jonathan Rosen, Bruce Stutz and Victor Navasky. From science to politics to history to birding to environmentalism and journalism, these writers have added indelibly to quilt of the American landscape.

Carl Sagan, the noted astrophysicist from Cornell University now sadly departed to be one with the cosmos, wrote a number of books that be termed more philosophical than scientific. The selection we have chosen for this month is one such work. Entitled "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: A Search for Who We Are," this work, co-written with his wife Ann Druyan, explores what it means to be human and our place in the universe.

Our second selection speaks to the very important role that Jewish-American progressive thinkers have played in the development of American liberalism though the work we have highlighted is also more of a reflective philosophical nature. Louis "Studs" Terkel, who died in 2008, was a prolific writer and a life-long social activist. He won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for for General Non-Fiction for "The Good War." His "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?" was published in 2001 and was the last book he wrote. It is more auto-biographical and grapples with question of death, faith and identity.

Howard Zinn requires no introduction. He is simply the People's Historian. The Whole Earth Library boasts most of his works and the one we have chosen is "Failure to Quit: Reflections of an Optimistic Historian, "an anthology and the seventh volume of his Radical Sixties series. The series of essays cover an array of topics that remain relevant to this today. For example, there is an essay How Free is Higher Education and another on Just and Unjust Wars.

Jonathan Rosen and Bruce Stutz are both Jewish-American naturalists and important contributors to the environmental movement. Rosen's book. "The Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature," looks at the world from the perspective of a birder, one whose hobby is watching birds. The reality is that we are all birders. Birds are for the most part the only wildlife we see day in and day out. A mix of memoir, natural history and philosophy make this book a joy to read. "Chasing Spring: An American Journey Through a Changing Season" by Bruce Stutz is journal of an unfolding Spring. Stutz followed the blossoming of nature writing about  its retreat from the cold icy death of winter to its annual rebirth. It's the perfect book for Springtime reading in the Sun. A caveat, the calendar say Spring, a step outside might disprove such a notion.

"A Matter of Opinion" by Victor Navasky is the last book celebrating the contributions of Jewish-Americans to our literary landscape. An editor,  educator and journalist, Navasky won the National Book Prize in 1982 but is perhaps best known for his tenure at The New York Times Sunday Magazine and then at The Nation. In "A Matter of Opinion," Navasky offers a full-throated argument on the necessity of a vibrant and diverse press for a healthy democracy. It is the variety of opinion and tolerance for the views of others that embolden Americans to undertake an expansion of democratic life. As media consolidation has taken hold, we have lost that diversity of opinion undercutting an important part of civic discourse and threatening our democratic traditions.

San Francisco Ocean Film Festival

The Ninth Annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival starts tonight over at the Bay Theater in the Aquarium of the Bay on Pier 39. A Thoreau Center for Sustainability tenant, the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival has brings filmmakers from around the world to highlight both the bounty and beauty of our oceans as well as the increasing perils the oceans face. Each screening is followed by Q&A sessions with filmmakers, panel discussions with industry experts and a free student program. The San Francisco Ocean Film Festival runs through Sunday March 11th and tickets are still available.

The Whole Earth Library at Thoreau Center also has number of books on issues affecting our oceans for those wishing to follow up with additional reading.

The Future of US Ocean Policy: Choices for the New Century, Biliana Cicin-Sanin and Robert W. Knecht. (2000)

The Future of US Ocean Policy is the culmination of an over twenty year research study of US ocean policy. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the key issues and concerns that are essential to formulating and implementing a sustainable ocean policy. The Future of US Ocean Policy also provides the history and the evolution of the debate over ocean and coastal use. The book also examines the policy choices faces by policymakers as they address the issues affecting our oceans from overfishing to toxic waste dumping and off-shore drilling.



A Stain Upon the Sea: West Coast Salmon Farming, Stephen Hume. (2004)

Bringing together six leading experts from both science and government, A Stain Upon the Sea looks at the fastest growing part of aquaculture, salmon farming. The book takes a hard look at industry practices in British Columbia examining both health risks posed to humans and long-term environmental damage done to the coastal ecosystems where salmon farms are located. Journalist Stephen Hume examines the industry through the eyes of the Nuxalk and Heiltsuk Nations and incorporates case studies from Ireland and Alaska. Historians Betty Keller and Rosella M. Leslie explain the development of the industry in British Columbia, from small family operations to large chain farms owned by a handful of multinational conglomerates. Biologist Alexandra Morton analyzes the biology of sea lice in the pink salmon runs in the Broughton Archipelago. Former Canadian federal employee Otto Langer gives an in-depth account of the bureaucratic nightmare that exempted the industry from environmental review. And scientist Don Staniford analyzes the chemical stew that farmed fish are raised in and the health risk this poses to humans.

The Whaling Season: An Inside Account of the Struggle to Stop Commercial Whaling, Kieran Mulvaney. (2003)

Kieran Mulvaney has lead four expedition to the cold waters off Antarctica to demonstrate that despite a decades-long international moratorium on commercial whaling, whales are still being hunted. The book not only offers a vivid, riveting and extraordinary account of the dangers and hazards in trying to track, intercept and stop commercial whalers but also covers the long history of whaling. Additionally, Mulvaney covers the groups and people who have led the largely though not completely successful movement to eradicate whaling.

Books to Explore the Great Outdoors

With the weather so delightfully mild as we head into spring, here are a few books in the Whole Earth Library at Thoreau Center collection to help you explore the beauty and bounty of the Presidio, San Francisco, the Bay Area and beyond. The Whole Earth Library has maps of the Presidio available for those wishing to explore the wonder around us during their lunch break or after work.



Walking San Francisco by Tom Downs (2007)

San Francisco, with its distinct neighborhoods and ample green areas,  is a city made for walking. Tom Downs' guide offers 30 different walking tours highlighting the diversity and wonder of this 49 square mile slice of heaven we call home. Tours are arranged by neighborhood and by interest so if architecture is your passion, there's a tour for that. Or take a walk down the Barbary Coast and discover the irrepressible character of the city during the Gold Rush era.


The Bay Area Ridge Trail by Jean Rusmore (1995)

Written in cooperation with the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, this guide details 33 different hikes, ranging in 3 to 13 miles, along the over 300 mile long trail the spans the varied terrain of the Bay Area. From lush redwood forests damp with timeless mystery to grassy high meadows bursting with lavish displays of California wildflowers, this guide has detail information on what to expect and invaluable tips for how to enjoy each step of discovery of nature's richness that lies literally at our doorstep. There is even a 3 mile tour of the Presidio that can be done in an afternoon. And be sure to check the calendar run by the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council for more information on upcoming hikes and events.

Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region by Doris Sloan (2006)

Truly a remarkable guide that allows both the novice and the seasoned geologist to explore the terrain beneath our feet. With over 30 maps covering the Bay Area from the ocean to the delta and from Napa down to Santa Cruz, this guide gives clear, non-technical explanations of the fascinating yet often complex geological forces that have shaped our region. Explore the forces of plate tectonics as you ramble across any of the numerous, and surprisingly, accessible fault systems that lie right under our noses. Each major Bay Area region has a dedicated chapter in which "Special Places to Explore" are highlighted.

Field Guide to Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions by Arthur M. Shapiro and Timothy D. Manolis (2007)

For the lepidopterist in each one of us, this remarkable guide to the region's diverse collection of butterflies is a welcomed resource. This field guide boasts 31 color plates to help you find and identify both native and migrating species. The book also highlights where and when to find the serpentine endemics. Aside from being California's state rock, serpentine rocks has unusual chemistry that impacts the flora that grow in it and thus impacting the fauna. In the Bay Area, two species of butterflies are serpentine endemic and a further six are serpentine preferential. Seeing these angel-winged beauties in their native environment is a joy for child and adult alike.

California Coastal Access Guide by the California Coastal Commission (2003)

This comprehensive guide to the scenic and recreational facilities of our varied and scenic shoreline from Oregon down to the Mexican border can help you plan an afternoon walk, a weekend foray or a week's leisurely drive up or down the down the coast. With great tips on what to do, how to explore the wetlands and tidepools, where to camp or inexpensive lodging options, this guide is a must check out before planning any adventure along the 770 mile California coastline.

The Islands of San Francisco Bay by James A. Martin and Michael T. Lee (2006)

The most recent addition to the Whole Earth Library at the Thoreau Center thanks to a gift by its author, James Martin, who spoke here on February 16th. Covering all 48 islands in the Bay, this remarkable book covers the ecology, geology and history of these islands. Packed with nearly 400 color photographs, many available for purchase at The Islands of the Bay website, this volume is a visual delight as well as an informative resource to consult before venturing out to explore the varied dots of land that break above the surface of the San Francisco Bay.

New Books in the New Year

Thanks to the Northern California Directory of Independent Booksellers, the Whole Earth Library at Thoreau Center for Sustainability has received more than a score of books in the areas of Nonprofit Sector Resources, Social Issues, Policy Economics and Philosophy plus a few works of fiction. Here is a sampling of the new books now in the collection.

Kwame Anthony Appiah. The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen. (2010)

The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen is the latest book from the New York Times best-selling author and Princeton University Professor of Philosophy Kwame Anthony Appiah. The book examines how moral progress happens and how societies come to repudiate long-standing social practices that murderous and dehumanizing. Appiah, born in Ghana and educated in Britain, examines the sudden end of the centuries-old practice of dueling in Britain, the demise of foot binding in China and the struggle to ban the trans-Atlantic slave trade and he writes convincingly that in each case the evolving concept of honor played a critical role in terminating these practices. But this book is not just about past moral revolutions. Appiah also looks at how honor might led to demise of honor killings in Pakistan.

Pavithra Mehta & Suchitra Shenoy. Infinite Vision: How Aravind Became the World's Greatest Business Case for Compassion. (2011)

Infinite Vision is the story of Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy and the Aravind Eye Clinic. Founded in 1976 as a 11-bed facility in the old temple city of Madruai in Tamil Nadu, Aravind today boasts eight eye hospitals with over 4,000 beds treating over 1.7 million patients each year making it the largest and most productive eye care institution in the world. With a business model based on compassion, two-third of Aravind's patients receive free treatment and yet the eye clinics are self-sustaining teaching and research facilities. A core principle of the Aravind System is that the hospital must provide services to the rich and poor alike, while remaining financially self-supporting. This principle is achieved through high quality, large volume care and a well-organized system.This timely book is co-authored by Pavithra Metha, an award-winning Indian writer and filmmaker, and Suchitra Shenoy, a founding member of the Inclusive Markets team at The Monitor Group.


Linda Stout. Collective Visioning: How Groups Can Work Together for a Just and Sustainable Future. (2011)

Collective Visioning: How Groups Can Work Together for a Just and Sustainable Future is the latest work from the Massachusetts-based social activist and founder of Spirit in Action, a non-profit organization that catalyzes broad-based movement building to support deep and lasting social change. In this book aimed at the nonprofit community, Stout provides guidelines on how to bring diverse interests together to form a cohesive group built on trust that ensures that each and every voice is heard with a goal of creating a positive vision and developing an action plan that leverages each member's unique abilities to bring that vision to fruition. Stout focuses on the important need to get our own storytelling right. She writes that "our own stories ground us in the present while empowering us" and notes that "unless we connect with our stories and truly listen to those of others, we won't be able to vision collectively into the future."

Dianna Booher. Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader. (2011)

Dianna Booher is the founder of the Booher Consultants, a global communication training firm in Dallas, and the author of several books on communication and public speaking. In this book, Booher provides scores of practical tips on the physical qualities, communication techniques, thought processes, and attitudes that underlie powerful personal presence. Personal presence is one of those qualities that is difficult to define but easy to recognize.This comprehensive guide will enable readers to become compelling leaders with a commanding presence no matter what their current position.

Joan Steinau Lester. Black, White, Other: In Search of Nina Armstrong. (2011)

Joan Steinau Lester, Ed.D. is an award-winning commentator, columnist, and author of four critically praised books. Black, White, Other: In Search of Nina Armstrong is Lester's first novel and looks at the issues faced by a fast growing segment of the US populations, biracial kids, through the eyes of a 15 year old girl named Nina Armstrong as she faces the challenges of her parents' divorce. Nina lives with her mother Maggie, a leftie whose family roots are in union organizing; her little brother, Jimi, lives with their father Silas who is busy rediscovering his African-American roots, which include an enslaved great-grandmother Sarah, whose story Silas is writing. Nina is emotionally, socially, and historically conflicted: who is she, and whose is she? She’s got white friends and black friends who inhabit different peer worlds, and the family tension shapes everything.

California Coastal Commission.  California Coastal Access Guide.  (2003)

The 1,100-mile California coast is an area of unsurpassed beauty and diversity.  The first edition of the California Coastal Access Guide was published in 1981 with the dual purposes of identifying areas along the coast that are open to the public and explaining the public's rights and responsibilities regarding the use of the coastal resources.  This guide tells you where to go on the coast, how to get there, and what facilities and type of environment you will find at each location.  The Guide is a thorough and easy-to-use handbook that lists and describes all open public accessways, beaches, parks and recreational areas along the coast; it provides addresses, phone numbers type of environment for each site.  It is divided into sections for each county and local area, with website and transit information and accompanying maps that clearly locate each accessway and major streets.  Photos and illustrated feature articles on history, coastal resources and recreational activities are found throughout the book. 

Kim Klein. Fundraising for Social Change, 5th edition. (2007)
 
From the publisher: Since it was first published in 1988, Fundraising for Social Change has become one of the most widely used books on fundraising in the United States. Fundraising practitioners and activists rely on it for hands-on, specific, and accessible fundraising techniques, and it has become a required text in dozens of college courses around the country. This fifth edition offers the information that has made the book a classic: proven know-how on asking for money, planning and conducting major gifts campaigns, using direct mail effectively, and much more. The book has been significantly changed to include new technology-e-mail, online giving, and blogs-and contains expanded chapters on capital and endowment campaigns, how to feel comfortable asking for money, how to recruit a team of people to help with fundraising, and how to build meaningful relationships with donors. In addition, this essential resource contains new information on such timely topics as ethics, working across cultural lines, and how to create opportunities for fundraising more systematically and strategically.

Mario Morino.  Leap of Reason: managing to outcomes in an era of scarcity. (2011)
From the publisher: Leap of Reason, a collaboration between Venture Philanthropy Partners and its longtime strategic partner McKinsey & Company, presents a compelling case that we must rise to meet the difficult challenges of our times with management approaches that complement heart with head, passion with information.
The book is anchored by a monograph written by philanthropist Mario Morino, who argues that the nation’s growing fiscal crisis will force all of us in the social sector to be clearer about our aspirations, more intentional in defining our approaches, more rigorous in gauging our progress, more willing to admit mistakes, more capable of quickly adapting and improving—all with an unrelenting focus on and passion for improving lives.
Morino calls on funders to empower nonprofits to manage smarter through greater use of information on performance and impact—rather than forcing them to meet myriad evaluation and reporting requirements that do little to help the organization learn and improve. He calls on nonprofits and funders to work together to “manage to outcomes” and to do so with the singular goal of helping nonprofits deliver greater benefits to those they serve.
Morino’s monograph is augmented by essays written by VPP president and CEO Carol Thompson Cole, the leaders of McKinsey’s Social Sector Office, and other experts and practitioners with hands-on experience leading the transition to managing to outcomes: Tynesia Boyea Robinson, Patricia Brantley, Isaac Castillo, David E. K. Hunter, Kristin Anderson Moore, David Murphey, Ethan D. Schafer, and Karen Walker. The book also includes a framework with questions to help organizations begin “managing to outcomes” and a compendium of relevant readings.
The book’s authors and publisher have produced this book with the goal of seeking the broadest possible dissemination of these ideas among social-sector leaders and those who support them. All of the authors contributed their essays and insights without compensation. And the publisher’s copyright notice encourages and grants permission for the distribution and reproduction of copies of this work for non-commercial purposes.

G. Castro and I. Locker, with V. Russell, L. Cornwell and E. Fajer. Mapping Conservation Investments: an assessment of biodiversity funding in Latin America and the Caribbean. (2000)

Full Report (PDF, 79 pages, 850 Kb)

From the publisher: Biological diversity plays a critical role in maintaining the ecological processes upon which people, ecosystems and economies depend. The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region is widely accepted as a repository of some of the world’s richest biodiversity, containing 40% of Earth’s plant and animal species and probably the highest floristic diversity in the world. Unfortunately, the region’s biodiversity continues to face significant and growing threats. The study, collaboration of the U.S. agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank and the Biodiversity Support Program (BSP), was undertaken to determine the extent of biodiversity conservation funding in the region.
Esta es una publicacion bilingue que examina los patrones de financiamiento para la biodiversidad en la region de Latinoamerica y el Caribe (LAC) para discernir los vacios de financiamiento y animar una mayor comunicacion y conscientizacion de parte de los donantes. La evaluacion del financiamiento, resultado de un proyecto de tres anos de duracion implementado conjuntamente por el Banco Mundial y la USAID, se baso en los resultados recopilados con encuestas aplicadas a las principales organizaciones donantes: instituciones bilaterales y multilaterales, agencias gubernamentales, organizaciones no gubernamentales, fundaciones, principales instituciones de investigacion y fideicomisos para el medio ambiente. Se pretende que este analisis sea el primer paso hacia una mayor comunicacion entre los donantes y los implementadores con el fin de conducir a una inversion mas estrategica y mejor enfocada en la region de LAC.