McKay Jenkins Books

"A few years ago, journalism professor McKay Jenkins went in for a routine medical exam. What doctors found was not routine at all: a tumor, the size of a navel orange, was lurking in his abdomen. When Jenkins returned to the hospital to have the tumor removed, he was visited by a couple of researchers with clipboards. They had some questions for him. Odd questions. How much exposure had he had to toxic chemicals and other contaminants? Asbestos dust? Vinyl chlorine? Pesticides? A million questions, all about seemingly obscure chemicals. Jenkins, an exercise nut and an enviro-conscious, organic-garden kind of guy, suddenly realized he'd spent his life marinating in toxic stuff, from his wall-to-wall carpeting, to his dryer sheets, to his drinking water. And from the moment he left the hospital, he resolved to discover the truth about chemicals and the "healthy" levels of exposure we encounter each day as Americans. Jenkins spent the next two years digging, exploring five frontiers of toxic exposure--the body, the home, the drinking water, the lawn, and the local box store--and asking how we allowed ourselves to get to this point. He soon learned that the giants of the chemical industry operate virtually unchecked, and a parent has almost no way of finding out what the toy her child is putting in his or her mouth is made of. Most important, though, Jenkins wanted to know what we can do to turn things around. Though toxins may be present in products we all use every day--from ant spray, perfume, and grass seed to shower curtains and, yes, baby shampoo--there are ways to lessen our exposure. ContamiNation is an eye-opening report from the front lines of consumer advocacy."--Page 4 of cover

Set against the backdrop of Glacier National Park in 1969, a group of five young men embarks on a daring winter ascent of Mt. Cleveland's treacherous north face. Their expedition turns tragic when an avalanche buries them, leading to a gripping rescue effort that unfolds over the following months. The White Death chronicles both the climbers' fateful journey and the heroic attempts to save them, highlighting themes of ambition, nature's unpredictability, and the resilience of the human spirit.

The habdbook to accompany a major university-led public educational outreach and community engagement initiative. This statewide master naturalist certification program is designed to train hundreds of citizen scientists, K-12 environmental educators, ecological restoration volunteers, and habitat managers each year.

Are GMOs really that bad? An environmental journalist takes a fresh look at what they actually mean for our food system and for us. In the past two decades, GMOs have come to dominate the American diet. Advocates hail them as the future of food, an enhanced method of crop breeding that can help feed an ever-increasing global population and adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Critics, meanwhile, call for their banishment, insisting GMOs were designed by overeager scientists and greedy corporations to bolster an industrial food system that forces us to rely on cheap, unhealthy, processed food so they can turn an easy profit. In response, health-conscious brands such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have started boasting that they are "GMO-free," and companies like Monsanto have become villains in the eyes of average consumers. Where can we turn for the truth? Are GMOs an astounding scientific breakthrough destined to end world hunger? Or are they simply a way for giant companies to control a problematic food system? Environmental writer McKay Jenkins traveled across the country to answer these questions and discovered that the GMO controversy is more complicated than meets the eye. He interviewed dozens of people on all sides of the debate-- scientists hoping to engineer new crops that could provide nutrients to people in the developing world, Hawaiian papaya farmers who credit GMOs with saving their livelihoods, and local farmers in Maryland who are redefining what it means to be "sustainable." The result is a comprehensive examination of the state of our food system and a much-needed guide for consumers to help them make more informed choices about what to eat for their next meal

Nasazení elitní 10. horské divize armády Spojených států v bojích v italských horách během 2. světové války. V září r. 1943 překračují Spojenci Messinskou úžinu, neobyčejně dlouhé a krvavé italské tažení začíná. Německé jednotky, které obsazují Itálii po její kapitulaci, velmi zdařile využily k obraně těžko prostupný terén italských hor. Minová pole, šikovně umístěné střílny či pevnůstky i celé obranné linie výrazně zpomalují spojenecký postup. Na pozadí poměrně podrobného popisu italské kampaně autor sleduje těžké boje, kterými prošla americká 10. horská divize, i osudy jednotlivých příslušníků.

Nasazení elitní 10. horské divize armády Spojených států v bojích v italských horách během 2. světové války. V září r. 1943 překračují Spojenci Messinskou úžinu, neobyčejně dlouhé a krvavé italské tažení začíná. Německé jednotky, které obsazují Itálii po její kapitulaci, velmi zdařile využily k obraně těžko prostupný terén italských hor. Minová pole, šikovně umístěné střílny či pevnůstky i celé obranné linie výrazně zpomalují spojenecký postup. Na pozadí poměrně podrobného popisu italské kampaně autor sleduje těžké boje, kterými prošla americká 10. horská divize, i osudy jednotlivých příslušníků.