There are over one billion organisms in a pinch of soil, yet we know much more about deep space than about the universe below. In Tales from the Underground, Cornell ecologist David Wolfe takes us on a tour through current scientific knowledge of the subterranean world. We follow the progress of discovery from Charles Darwin's experiments with earthworms, to Lewis and Clark's first encounter with prairie dogs, to the use of new genetic tools that are revealing an astonishingly rich ecosystem beneath our feet. Wolfe plunges us deep into the earth's rocky crust, where life may have begun-a world devoid of oxygen and light but safe from asteroid bombardment. Primitive microbes found there are turning our notion of the evolutionary tree of life on its head: amazingly, they represent perhaps a full third of earth's genetic diversity. As Wolfe explains, creatures of the soil can work for us, by providing important pharmaceuticals and recycling the essential elements of life, or against us, by spreading disease and contributing to global climate change. The future of our species may well depend on how we manage our living soil resources. Tales from the Underground will forever alter our appreciation of the natural world around-and beneath-us.

There are over one billion organisms in a pinch of soil, and many of them perform functions essential to all life on the planet. Yet we know much more about deep space than about the universe below. In Tales from the Underground, Cornell ecologist David W. Wolfe lifts the veil on this hidden world, revealing for the first time what makes subterranean life so unique and so precious. Home to miniscule water bears and microscopic bacteria, mole rats and burrowing owls, the underground reigns supreme as it produces important pharmaceuticals, recycles life's essential elements, and helps plants gather nutrients. An original, awe-inspiring journey through a strange realm, Tales from the Underground will forever alter our appreciation of the natural world around-and beneath-us.

Several thousand people travel on the London underground daily where life is fully representative of the cosmopolitan nature and the diversity of everyday London. In Tales of the Underground, author Olayemi Karim offers a guide to help people understand the nuances and the cultural peculiarities of traveling in the city. Olayemi, who commutes daily to the city for her job, began documenting the interesting experiences of her travels on the rails on both her Facebook page and blog. She records the unspoken rules and the expected behaviors in the London transportation network, for instance, the strange look returned by commuters, when caught staring. She also explains a number of common sights and things observed on the Underground as well as unusual and often humorous situations. Tales of the Underground gives a fly-on-the-wall narrative of seemingly innocuous and unconnected events which, when pieced together, offers an understanding of both the travelers and the flavors of London.

This carefully crafted ebook: "Taking the Underground Railroad to Freedom – Selected True Stories from Former Slaves & Abolitionists (Illustrated)” is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. The Underground Railroad was a secret network of routes used by Southern slaves in escaping to the North. In their attempts they were often guided and helped by former fugitive slaves and abolitionist who were known as the conductors. Unravel the secrets of these incredible and unforgettable life journeys and the people who took these treacherous routes to freedom. This edition includes carefully compiled and detailed documentation about the lives and escapes of over 100 former slaves along with the incredible life stories of the two courageous female conductors, Harriet Tubman and Laura S. Haviland, who risked their own lives in helping these slaves cross over to the North in the dead of the night. So come and relive the stories of extraordinary courage, heart breaking saga of grief and separation and the overwhelming desire to break free! A MUST READ! William Still (1821–1902) was an African-American abolitionist, conductor on the Underground Railroad, writer, historian and civil rights activist who recorded the stories of fugitive slaves to help them reunite with their families. Sarah H. Bradford (1818–1912) was an American writer, historian and a very close friend of Harriet Tubman. Bradford was also a contemporary of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Laura S. Haviland (1808-1898) was an American abolitionist, suffragette, and social reformer. She is credited to have established the first racially integrated school in Michigan with her husband, which gave lectures about the realities of life on a slave plantation.

The MissionaryÕs Curse tells the story of a Chinese village that has been Catholic since the seventeenth century, drawing direct connections between its history, the globalizing church, and the nation. Harrison recounts the popular folk tales of merchants and peasants who once adopted Catholic rituals and teachings for their own purposes, only to find themselves in conflict with the orthodoxy of Franciscan missionaries arriving from Italy. The villageÕs long religious history, combined with the similarities between Chinese folk religion and Italian Catholicism, forces us to rethink the extreme violence committed in the area during the Boxer Uprising. The author also follows nineteenth century Chinese priests who campaigned against missionary control, up through the founding of the official church by the Communist Party in the 1950s. HarrisonÕs in-depth study provides a rare insight into villager experiences during the Socialist Education Movement and Cultural Revolution, as well as the growth of Christianity in China in recent years. She makes the compelling argument that Catholic practice in the village, rather than adopting Chinese forms in a gradual process of acculturation, has in fact become increasingly similar to those of Catholics in other parts of the world.

What does it mean to have a personality that is slightly skewed? I am not speaking of one that throughout its "earthly" tenure exhibits qualities of excess, be they psychosomatic, anal, psychotic, delusional, or narcissistic; I am speaking of a personality that on occasion, given the depth of emotional entrapment, takes matters to the edge of predictable behavior and beyond, thus shedding light upon the darkness lurking there. Although these qualities might, at times, apply to some or all of the main characters here, they primarily serve as the necessary, yet "impure", ingredients for the alchemist's journey; and as such, they point out the twists and turns of hints and allusions, the oddness of the plots, and, of course, the suggestion of larger, more intangible issues. In Tales from the Soft Underbelly of Confusion, character impurities-and our rigorous attempt to sublimate and repress them-are subtle reminders of the cosmic hoop through which we jump to keep our world ordered and "sane".