Developments in Geotechnical Engineering, Vol. 14A: Rockslides and Avalanches, 1: Natural Phenomena focuses on attempts to provide a foundation for studies of mass movement phenomena in the Western Hemisphere. The selection first elaborates on Albert Heim's observations on landslides and relevance to modern interpretations, Frank rockslide in Alberta, Canada, and Lower Gros Ventre slide in Wyoming, U.S.A. Discussions focus on geologic environment, events triggered by rise and fall of slide lake level, description of slide mass and zone of detachment, stability analysis, travel distance of sturzstrom deposits, and geometry of the Elm sturzstrom deposits. The publication then takes a look at Madison Canyon rockslide in Montana, U.S.A., Little Tahoma Peak rockfalls and avalanches in Mount Rainier, Washington, U.S.A., Sherman Glacier rock avalanche in Alaska, U.S.A., and Nevados Huascaran avalanches in Peru. Topics include rockslide kinematics, associated seismic activity, meteorological and hydrological conditions, mode of emplacement of other Alaskan rock avalanches, and applicability of mechanical fluidization to other rock avalanches. The text examines the mechanics of glacier movement, dynamics of snow avalanches, failure of snow slopes, and role of gravity in plate tectonics. The selection is a valuables reference for researchers wanting to study further rockslides and avalanches.

Article abstracts and citations of reviews and dissertations covering the United States and Canada.

From Ken Burns's documentaries to historical dramas such as Roots, from A&E's Biography series to CNN, television has become the primary source for historical information for tens of millions of Americans today. Why has television become such a respected authority? What falsehoods enter our collective memory as truths? How is one to know what is real and what is imagined—or ignored—by producers, directors, or writers? Gary Edgerton and Peter Rollins have collected a group of essays that answer these and many other questions. The contributors examine the full spectrum of historical genres, but also institutions such as the History Channel and production histories of such series as The Jack Benny Show, which ran for fifteen years. The authors explore the tensions between popular history and professional history, and the tendency of some academics to declare the past "off limits" to nonscholars. Several of them point to the tendency for television histories to embed current concerns and priorities within the past, as in such popular shows as Quantum Leap and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. The result is an insightful portrayal of the power television possesses to influence our culture.