#jill jonnes

[universitybookstore]

New from Viking and author Jill Jonnes, Urban Forests: A Natural History of Trees and People in the American Cityscape.

[welcome2thebronx]

'South Bronx Rising' book launch begins this weekend

‘South Bronx Rising’ book launch begins this weekend

Thirty-five years after author Jill Jones published South Bronx Rising: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of an American she is back with a third, updated edition covering the explosion of real estate developments across the South Bronx as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the borough. In this latest edition, the forward is written by life-long Bronx resident and activist, Nilka…

View On WordPress

[brigdh]

Reading Wednesday

A Question of Order: India, Turkey, and the Return of Strongmen by Basharat Peer. A really fascinating account of the recent history of these two countries and how their politics have lately turned to authoritarianism and aggressive nationalism. This is self-evidently relevant to those of us under Trump or May as well; I've been making comparisons between Modi and Trump ever since the latter became a political candidate, and Peer clearly agrees with me. The book is divided into two sections, the first on India and its current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who was elected in 2014; the second on Turkey and its current president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was elected Prime Minister in 2003 and then, when he could no longer extend his term there, switched to president in 2014, rewriting the laws to make that position more political, powerful, and active. Each chapter is a bit of a self-contained essay, with topics ranging from the broad (the history of the BJP, Modi's political party) to the individual (the suicide of a Dalit PhD student after being ignored and disadvantaged by his school). I'm more familiar with India's current political scene than with Turkey's, but even the stuff I already knew came with very recent updates or insightful analogies. Overall the chapters convey a well-researched, thoughtful, and thorough picture of each country's politics. If world politics remotely interest you, I highly recommend this book – though to be honest, it is quite depressing. I put off reading it myself for months because I needed more lighthearted material, but I'm glad I finally got to it. I only wish I could have read this before the July 2016 coup in Turkey. Of course it wasn't out yet, and though given its so-recent occurrence Peer is only able to address the topic briefly in his afterword, but I feel like I now understand much more of the dynamics and players involved. I read this as an ARC via NetGalley. Urban Forests: A Natural History of Trees and People in the American Cityscape by Jill Jonnes. A nonfiction book that describes itself as "a passionate, wide-ranging, and fascinating natural history of the tree in American cities over the course of the past two centuries". I'm about to take issue with that blurb, but I did enjoy reading it. My main complaint about this book is that it's not particularly focused on urban forests. Out of 21 chapters, one is about the canker than killed off the American Chestnut, four are on Dutch Elm Disease, one on the Emerald Ash Borer (a bug that attacks ash trees), and two on Asian Long-Horned Beetles (which kill several types of trees, but are particularly fond of maples). These are all interesting stories, and Elms and Ash and Maples do sometimes live in cities, but cities are very much not the focus of these sagas of disease and resistance. Another chapter is on the discovery of the Dawn Redwood, a "living fossil" from the Cretaceous, whose only connection to the idea of "urban forests" seems to be that the discoverers were paid by Harvard University, which is in Boston, which is a city. There are also chapters on the (surprisingly contentious!) history of Arbor Day, Thomas Jefferson's tree collection, and the founding of America's various great arboretums (tree museums) including the New York Botanical Garden, the Arnold Arboretum, and the Morton Arboretum. All of which doesn't leave a lot of room for my poor street trees. "Historical Tree Diseases of the US" would have been a much more accurate title, but I suppose someone along the way decided that wouldn't sell as well. I feel a bit churlish complaining so much though, because in the end the book is a fun read. Despite my proposed serious-sounding title, Jonnes is very much writing in the vibe of Mary Roach or Bill Bryson: she tells interesting stories in a familiar, entertaining way, and if they're a bit random and hang together more by virtue of their "cool to know" quality than their deep thematic connection, that's okay. The main point is to have fun. For instance, a chapter on how DC got its cherry trees is quite disconnected from the rest of the book, but is nonetheless a great story. I was most interested in the last few chapters, which finally got into the topic of actual urban forests, because that was what had attracted me in the first place, but they all were surprisingly engaging. I also have to be very grateful to Jonnes for introducing me to the NYC Street Tree Map, which actually allows you to zoom down onto any block in the city, click on a tree, and find out facts about what species it is, how big it is, how many pounds of air pollution it removes each year, and so on. I've had a lot of fun identifying the trees outside of my apartment. I read this as an ARC via NetGalley. (Link to DW easier commenting)

[bluehwys]

Currently reading.

[michaelseese]

By Michael Seese When I last wrote about The Secret World Of Gustave Eiffel, I was on the verge of 20,000 words. I said in that post that I hoped to "ramp it up" this past week. Well... 2/3/13       19,573 2/4/13       21,012 2/5/13       22,789 2/6/13       24,815 2/7/13       26,193 2/8/13       27,405 2/9/13       28,114 2/10/13     28,507 2/11/13     30,177 2/12/13     30,884 I'm especially proud of the days on which I "skipped a 4th digit," if you will. For example, on February 4, I went from 19K to 21K.  February 6 also was a good day. I had prepared to shut down for the night. But when I saw that my word count was 24,768 -- or 1,979 for the day -- I just had to press on to reach 2,000. (2,026 to be exact.) My ultimate goal is 80,000 words. But my plan is to get from where I am now to the end, and total perhaps 60,000. Then, I can go back and fill in the blanks, especially at the beginning, which is very sparse. So while I still can't claim (even to myself) that I'm "there," I am "getting there." I'd like to offer another snippet.   Let me state, probably again, that I like writing dialogue. I really enjoy writing it. On the days I'm writing a lot of dialogue, I have humongous word counts. It just flows. Whether it's any good... I suppose that is for you, the readers (and ultimately the New York Times reviewer) to decide. Here is the set up. An important plot element centers around the decision to choose Eiffel's design as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair. The chapters which lead up to this section explain that it was a rigged contest; Eiffel was going to be selected. Per Wikipedia, it was contrived in reality, too. But Eiffel was a bridge builder. Therefore, the architectural community launched a subtle (and not-so-subtle) campaign against him.     Simply pondering the scope and scale of the work which lay ahead caused his head to hurt. Eiffel rubbed his temples in an effort to silence the throbbing. When it grew in intensity and frequency, he realized that the pounding came from without, rather than within. Someone was at the door.     As soon as he opened it, he wished he had not.     “Gustave! How good to see you,” Jules Bourdais said through his sneer. Bourdais always addressed people by their first names as a form of condescension.     “Monsieur Bourdais, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?”     “Gustave, does one need a reason to visit an old friend?”      Bourdais emphasized the  word “old.” Eiffel certainly did not consider him to be a friend. He nonetheless maintained his cordiality.     “Of course not, Monsieur Bourdais. Please do come in. Allow me a moment to straighten up."     Eiffel hurried back to his table, and hid the drafts of the Tower beneath another sheet of paper which featured several half-finished doodles, and served expressly as a decoy. When Eiffel looked up, he saw that  Bourdais had shown himself in.     “What are you working on, Gustave?” he asked, coming around to Eiffel’s side.     “Nothing out of the ordinary. As you can see, just a bridge. Bridges are what I do best, after all.”     “Would this be the bridge for Breslau?” Bourdais asked, raising an eyebrow.     Eiffel tried to hide his astonishment.     “Breslau? What do you mean?”     “Nothing. So you are not preparing an entry for the Exposition?”     “Why do you ask?” Eiffel couched the question in faux-sincere innocence. In reality, he desperately wished to know the real purpose behind Bourdais’s visit.     “Even though you are an engineer, Gustave, perhaps you have had conversations with some of my colleagues in the Société Française des Architectes. Securing the commission for the the gateway of the Exposition would be a great honor for any of us. For you, I would imagine, the crowning achievement of a lifetime. So I just assumed that you would be preparing a proposal. Even though you build bridges.”     Eiffel noted that Bourdais overemphasized the last word, even more so the second time than the first.     “Oh, I am,” Eiffel said, casually. He knew that Bourdais was baiting him. But he could not resist playing the game a little.     “Oh?” said Bourdais as he scanned the table.     “Oui. As of now, I have just a few rough sketches. Nothing even remotely worth mentioning. The competition is not to be formally announced until 1 October, is it not?” Eiffel, it goes without saying, knew by heart the correct date.     “No, Gustave, it is 3 October.”     “But of course.”     “So you have not committed much to paper?”     “No. You?”     “I am nearly complete,” he boasted.     Eiffel knew Bourdais, or at least his reputation for vanity, very well. He knew that the proper mixture of prodding and ego-stroking would loosen his tongue.     “I am certain that yours will prove a magnificent fabrication. I must confess, Monsieur Bourdais, that whenever I stroll down the Pont d' Iéna, and pass the Palais du Trocadéro, I am compelled to linger for several minutes so that I may drink it in, and admire its bold Byzantine flavor."      Eiffel knew full well that “byzantine” could also be interpreted as “devious” or “surreptitious.”     “You, then, are in concordance with most of Paris. And whenever I travel by train and cross one of your bridges, I think, ‘This bridge was built by Monsieur Eiffel. I can rest secure in the knowledge that, most likely, it will not collapse.’ ”     “You are too kind, Monsieur Bourdais. So your proposal for the Exposition...will it be modern, or adhere to the classical schools of thought?” If I have not said so lately, I learned of Jules Bourdais through my "encyclopedia," also known as Eiffel's Tower, by Jill Jonnes. For that matter, many of the characters which I am building worlds around are those real-world personalities who populated Paris at the time, and who come to life on her pages.  I am so going to have to send her a copy when it's done.  (Positive thinking.)  

<![CDATA[// <![CDATA[ var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-32993419-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); // ]]]]><![CDATA[>]]>

[lookbeyondtheobvious-blog]

What Is a Tree Worth?

Amplify’d from www.wilsonquarterly.com

What Is a Tree Worth?

For centuries, tree lovers mighty and humble have planted and nurtured trees—elms, oaks, ginkgoes, magnolias, apples, and spruces (to name but a handful of America’s 600-some species). “I never before knew the full value of trees,” wrote Thomas Jefferson in 1793. “Under them I breakfast, dine, write, read, and receive my company. What would I not give that the trees planted nearest the house at Monticello were full grown.” But trees were often taken for granted in a new nation that seemed to have a limitless supply.

See more at www.wilsonquarterly.com

 See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/brmj1

[ladyjournos]

Trees brighten city streets and delight nature-starved urbanites. Now scientists are learning that they also play a crucial role in the green infrastructure of America’s cities.

The Wilson Quarterly || Winter 2011