Creating fire is easy, yet understanding and learning to live with this friend and foe has never been easy; stopping fire is a dangerous—and often deadly—pursuit. Drawing on his experiences as an environmental historian, firefighter and life safety educator, author Einar Jensen presents an eye-opening look at fire and our history of dealing with it, then gives us the tools for being responsible and prepared—as parents and teachers, as communities and fire service professionals, and as homeowners in the wildland urban interface. “If we don’t change our understanding of fire, our rules of engagement, or our cultural values, we should expect more tragedies and be willing to pay for them in ever-increasing volumes of dollars, blood, sweat and tears. I’m committed to preventing these tragedies, and I hope to bring more members into my prevention cadre.” — Einar Jensen Contents 1 - Fire, Our Friend and Foe 2 – Fundamentals of Fire Science 3 - Youth & Firesetting: Playing with Fire Can Burn Us 4 - Fire’s Dark Side: A Tool of Pain & Destruction 5 - Fire’s Positive Side: A Tool of Creation 6 - Rules of Fire, Rites of Fire 7 - Sacred Fire 8 - Risk Perception and Fire 9 - Harmony with Fire 10 - Will We Keep Burning? Plus 29 Ancient Myths about the Origins of Fire, and a detailed appendix with Resources for Dealing with Youth Fire Misuse, Suggested Reading, Online Resources, Glossary and more.

Creating fire is easy, yet understanding and learning to live with this friend and foe has never been easy; stopping fire is a dangerous--and often deadly--pursuit. Drawing on his experiences as an environmental historian, firefighter and life safety educator, author Einar Jensen presents an eye-opening look at fire and our history of dealing with it, then gives us the tools for being responsible and prepared--as parents and teachers, as communities and fire service professionals, and as homeowners in the wildland urban interface. "If we don't change our understanding of fire, our rules of engagement, or our cultural values, we should expect more tragedies and be willing to pay for them in ever-increasing volumes of dollars, blood, sweat and tears. I'm committed to preventing these tragedies, and I hope to bring more members into my prevention cadre." -- Einar Jensen

Readers interested in ancient (and modern) Rome, urban life, and civic disasters, among other things, will be fascinated by this book.

"A comprehensive look at WMD's antecedents, from flamethrowers of the Peloponnesian War to plague-bearing booby traps.... Rich and entertaining." -Newsweek Featuring a new introduction by the author. Flamethrowers, poison gases, incendiary bombs, the large-scale spreading of disease... are these terrifying agents and implements of warfare modern inventions? Not by a long shot. Weapons of biological and chemical warfare have been in use for thousands of years, and Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs, Adrienne Mayor's fascinating exploration of the origins of biological and unethical warfare draws extraordinary connections between the mythical worlds of Hercules and the Trojan War, the accounts of Herodotus and Thucydides, and modern methods of war and terrorism. Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs will catapult readers into the dark and fascinating realm of ancient war and mythic treachery-and their devastating consequences.

Kill It with Fire chronicles the challenges of dealing with aging computer systems, along with sound modernization strategies. How to survive a legacy apocalypse “Kill it with fire,” the typical first reaction to a legacy system falling into obsolescence, is a knee-jerk approach that often burns through tons of money and time only to result in a less efficient solution. This book offers a far more forgiving modernization framework, laying out smart value-add strategies and proven techniques that work equally well for ancient systems and brand-new ones. Renowned for restoring some of the world’s oldest, messiest computer networks to operational excellence, software engineering expert Marianne Bellotti distills key lessons and insights from her experience into practical, research-backed guidance to help you determine when and how to modernize. With witty, engaging prose, Bellotti explains why new doesn’t always mean better, weaving in illuminating case studies and anecdotes from her work in the field. You’ll learn: Where to focus your maintenance efforts for maximum impact and value How to pick the right modernization solutions for your specific needs and keep your plans on track How to assess whether your migrations will add value before you invest in them What to consider before moving data to the cloud How to determine when a project is finished Packed with resources, exercises, and flexible frameworks for organizations of all ages and sizes, Kill It with Fire will give you a vested interest in your technology’s future.

"Covers what to do before, during, and after wildfire disasters. Advice for homeowners includes advance preparations for land, home and family; evacuation essentials and survival strategies when wildfire threatens; understanding insurance; and rebuilding and recovery"--

A "fresh...thrilling" (The Guardian) account of the Graeco-Persian Wars. In the fifth century B.C., a global superpower was determined to bring truth and order to what it regarded as two terrorist states. The superpower was Persia, incomparably rich in ambition, gold, and men. The terrorist states were Athens and Sparta, eccentric cities in a poor and mountainous backwater: Greece. The story of how their citizens took on the Great King of Persia, and thereby saved not only themselves but Western civilization as well, is as heart-stopping and fateful as any episode in history. Tom Holland’s brilliant study of these critical Persian Wars skillfully examines a conflict of critical importance to both ancient and modern history.