The Gift Of Nature

The darkest disasters in both Mother Nature and human nature have occurred since the dawn of time, and now it seems that the "natural disaster of the century" occurs almost every year. Thankfully, few of us will ever face a tragedy that strikes with the strength and speed of a tornado or tsunami or with the ferocity of a flood or forest fire. Yet most of us do indeed confront crises, real or imaginary, that can change the course of our lives in a heartbeat. This inspiring book presents the author's spirit of resilience throughout a lifetime of challenges and triumphs from both a professional and personal perspective--from an orphanage in Canada to a scholarship in the USA; from her adoptive parents deaths from cancer when she was 21 to her own experience as a cancer survivor; from arriving in Australia jobless to joining IBM and being named Australian Executive Woman of the Year and Keynote Speaker of the Year and honored to carry the Olympic torch during the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics. During waves of change or winds of woe, when our clarity of thinking vanishes in a mist of tears, lessons from a wondrous array of natural resources can help us clear the mental fog and better cope with the challenges. The Gift of Nature applies the timeless wisdom of Mother Nature to human nature, offering readers strength through nature photographs and inspirational quotes from an author who has bounced back from setbacks time and time again.

Will the ecological crises of our time be resolved using the same form of thought that has brought them about? Are technological prowess and political power the proper tools to address them? Is there not a deeper connection between our ecological crises and our human, social, political, economic, and ethical crises? This book argues that the popular approaches to ecological, bioethical, and other human crises are not working because they fail to examine the problem in its full depth. This depth escapes us because we have abandoned true metaphysical reflection on the whole and substituted it unknowingly for a series of inadequate alternatives. Both the technocratic paradigm that views all of nature mechanistically and its antagonists—the eco-philosophies that argue for the realities of intrinsic value, relationality, and beauty—carry partial truths but are insufficient. This book presents a more radical alternative, rooted in the classical tradition yet fresh and vibrant. The metaphysics of gift, based in the giftedness of existence shared by all, offers a deeper and more satisfying vision of all things that can transform our relationship with nature and touches every aspect of human life: social, political, economic, technical, and ethical.

A young Japanese girl spends the day with her beekeeping father in the mountains where he keeps his hives. Readers learn how the bees collect nectar, how it is turned into honey, and how the honey is collected. Full color.

Your food is your medicine and your medicine your food. So said Hippocrates, the father of medicine - but nothing could sum up Jan de Vries' approach to dietary management better. Over the past 35 years the number of people seeking his advice on food-related problems has increased dramatically, for although there are numerous books available on the subject, the information they contain is often contradictory and confusing - not surprisingly, maybe, when there are over 4,000 addictives finding their way into our food everyday. But wholesome eating is, in fact, very simple and you only need the sensible guidance contained in this book. The results speak for themselves. A balanced diet produces a noticeable increase in energy levels fairl quickly. Nutrition is a subject close to Jan de Vries' heart and his enthusiasm is evident in this latest book. Easy to read and easy to follow, it is a dietary plan for every household.