Not long after the conquest, the City of Mexico's rise to become the crown jewel in the Spanish empire was compromised by the lakes that surrounded it. Their increasing propensity to overflow destroyed wealth and alarmed urban elites, who responded with what would become the most transformative and protracted drainage project in the early modern America—the Desagüe de Huehuetoca. Hundreds of technicians, thousands of indigenous workers, and millions of pesos were marshaled to realize a complex system of canals, tunnels, dams, floodgates, and reservoirs. Vera S. Candiani's Dreaming of Dry Land weaves a narrative that describes what colonization was and looked like on the ground, and how it affected land, water, biota, humans, and the relationship among them, to explain the origins of our built and unbuilt landscapes. Connecting multiple historiographical traditions—history of science and technology, environmental history, social history, and Atlantic history—Candiani proposes that colonization was a class, not an ethnic or nation-based phenomenon, occurring simultaneously on both sides of an Atlantic, where state-building and empire-building were intertwined.

This collection of essays presents an innovative and provocative set of concepts to understand the spaces of the Americas through local lenses. The disciplines of architecture, urban design, landscape, and planning share the fundamental belief that space and place matter; however, the overwhelming majority of canonical knowledge in these fields originates in another continent and is external to the lived experience in such regions. The book introduces seven new concepts that have not been sufficiently addressed, and would make a significant contribution to the field: namely, gridded spaces; spaces of agriculture; space as image; watered spaces; spaces as labor; racialized spaces; and gendered spaces. This book, thus, introduces a broader conceptual framework to foster the analysis of the spatial histories of the Americas.

New England's Puritans were devoted to self-scrutiny. Consumed by the pursuit of pure hearts, they latched on to sincerity as both an ideal and a social process. It fueled examinations of inner lives, governed behavior, and provided a standard against which both could be judged. In a remote, politically volatile frontier, settlers gambled that sincerity would reinforce social cohesion and shore up communal happiness. Sincere feelings and the discursive practices that manifested them promised a safe haven in a world of grinding uncertainty. But as Ana Schwartz demonstrates, if sincerity promised much, it often delivered more: it bred shame and resentment among the English settlers and, all too often, extraordinary violence toward their Algonquian neighbors and the captured Africans who lived among them. Populating her "city on a hill" with the stock characters of Puritan studies as well as obscure actors, Schwartz breathes new life into our understanding of colonial New England.

THERE IS A STORM COMING... A mysterious tale of TREASURE lost & found. What happens when a ten-year-old pirate finds herself MAROONED on dry land with a step-family of landlubbers and a school bully who looks just like BLACKBEARD? Can she discover the secrets of the caves under the Red Cliffs, which are rumoured to conceal the plunder of Grace O'Malley the Pirate Queen? And will she ever DIG-UP the truth about her own ship-shape jewels, that are disappearing one shiny piece at a time? There is a storm coming...so get ready for a HEAVYWEATHER ADVENTURE!

"In this collection of brief, evocative vignettes, Penner traces the influence of pioneer roots on the present generation as he chronicles the transformation of the land from untouched prairie to productive farm. As a boy, young Mil rubbed shoulders with the very pioneers who tamed the prairies, and he now draws on those recollections and memories passed on by his father to make the past come alive."--BOOK JACKET.

The Dreams of Our Dreaming In the Dreams of our Dreaming, The blueprint was set, Of all that we could be, Though we arent there yet Inspired by a lifetime of dreams, this book is a compilation of inspirational and personal poetry and essays, written over many years, the stories lovingly arranged to take you through many of the common experiences of life. Allan says: "I prepared this book simply because the stories are so beautiful and meaningful, that they need to be shared with others. I want the world to know that there is an alternative way of thinking and acting. The messages are relevant to all people, and speak directly to people of all cultures. In many cases they have been rearranged slightly from the original text, so that when you read them, you feel as if you are sitting back, speaking with an old friend you can trust." This collection of prose, poetry and short stories has been thoroughly enjoyed by people of all ages, from four to one hundred and four. Even people who normally never read poetry have felt moved to read this book. Feedback received from many readers highlights the effectiveness of the messages contained, as many people have commented that the text seems to speak to them directly, delivering to them a personal message that brings inspiration and courage in times of need. Join Allan for a special journey through life and dreams with a natural flow that feels guided by spirit. This work of poetry new age/self help is an amazing and inspiring read from start to finish. The work takes the reader on a special journey through life and dreams with a natural flow that feels guided by spirit. The poems cover a wide range of issues from relationships, soul mates, and nature to the power of choice, time and lessons to name just a few. The poems are deep and meaningful and would appeal to all ages and cultures; which is unique in this genre. The Dreams of Our Dreaming is a highly accomplished work. Zeus Publications, 2010. The blurb promised me a special journey through life and dreams with a natural flow that feels guided by spirit. The book delivered on the promise with beautiful poems and a feeling of serenity throughout my reading. The focus is on the concept that we are all one and the same with many writings (poems and essays) weaving together subjects such as relationships, soul mates, nature, the power of choice, time and soul lessons. This book will appeal to those of any culture and age, particularly those contemplating new age concepts and opening to a spiritual awareness. Anne Aleckson for Insight magazine, September 2010

In Watering the Revolution Mikael D. Wolfe transforms our understanding of Mexican agrarian reform through an environmental and technological history of water management in the emblematic Laguna region. Drawing on extensive archival research in Mexico and the United States, Wolfe shows how during the long Mexican Revolution (1910-1940) engineers’ distribution of water paradoxically undermined land distribution. In so doing, he highlights the intrinsic tension engineers faced between the urgent need for water conservation and the imperative for development during the contentious modernization of the Laguna's existing flood irrigation method into one regulated by high dams, concrete-lined canals, and motorized groundwater pumps. This tension generally resolved in favor of development, which unintentionally diminished and contaminated the water supply while deepening existing rural social inequalities by dividing people into water haves and have-nots, regardless of their access to land. By uncovering the varied motivations behind the Mexican government’s decision to use invasive and damaging technologies despite knowing they were ecologically unsustainable, Wolfe tells a cautionary tale of the long-term consequences of short-sighted development policies.