Books with author Charles Holmes

As its sister title, A Californian's Guide to the Trees among Us, did for arboreal varieties, this new guidebook introduces casual birders to 120 of California's most easily seen bird species—native and exotic alike—as found in a mix of urban, suburban, and traditionally natural habitats. Full-color images and clear, direct descriptions make identification easy, and author Charles Hood supplements the essential information with surprising facts and trivia, including endangered-species recovery stories and the world record for grasshoppers eaten by one flycatcher in a single day. In sections addressing which gear to buy, where to go birdwatching, and how to read a birdsong transcription, Hood encourages readers to take ownership of their experiences, no matter their level of ornithological expertise. This accurate, lively, and even quotable guide will inspire people to notice nature more closely and find joy in interacting with the astounding diversity of avian life in California.

Why do we eat animals?Most of us think this question is absurd, but if pressed to answer we tend to provide one of a number of rationalizations. For example:"Humans are omnivores."“Every living thing eats other living things.”"Animals don't possess human cognition."“Humans need to eat animals to live.”We’ve all heard these arguments before, and many others too. Maybe we’ve even used these arguments ourselves. But are they logically sound?Or is eating animals in fact a prejudice, involving a thought process similar to the thought process behind racism and sexism? How exactly could the subject of eating animals teach us anything about prejudice and human rights? And supposing humans actually did need to eat animals to stay healthy, what can logic tell us about how we should act in such a situation?In this book we examine 31 categories of rationalizations for eating animals and put them all to the test. Do our thoughts and actions stand up to rational scrutiny or not? And if our thought process is ever failing us, can this be illuminated?Along with presenting a review of some of the important philosophical literature on the subject, Meat Logic examines the logic of eating animals to answer the age-old question once and for all.You may never think of food the same way again.

As its sister title, A Californian’s Guide to the Trees among Us, did for arboreal varieties, this new guidebook introduces casual birders to 120 of California’s most easily seen bird species—native and exotic alike—as found in a mix of urban, suburban, and traditionally natural habitats. Full-color images and clear, direct descriptions make identification easy, and author Charles Hood supplements the essential information with surprising facts and trivia, including endangered-species recovery stories and the world record for grasshoppers eaten by one flycatcher in a single day. In sections addressing which gear to buy, where to go birdwatching, and how to read a birdsong transcription, Hood encourages readers to take ownership of their experiences, no matter their level of ornithological expertise. This accurate, lively, and even quotable guide will inspire people to notice nature more closely and find joy in interacting with the astounding diversity of avian life in California.