The disaster facing the Gulf Coast has been on the minds of millions of people and the ladies of the She Writes - Southern Writers group expressed many feelings of anger, sadness, and disgust. We are not helpless, but what can we do? She Writes members Zetta Brown and Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson Brown decided that something needed to be done where people can put their talents together and help make a difference. What better way than to produce an anthology where the proceeds will go where it is needed most? Oil and Water...and Other Things That Don't Mix contains stories, poems, and recollections from 27 authors, women and men all dealing with the theme: "Conflict...Resolution Optional." These selections will make you laugh, cry, think, and some may even get you angry. These are stories from award-winning authors and journalists, newly published authors, as well as from talented new authors who make their debut in this volume. Jenne' R. Andrews - Shonell Bacon - Lissa Brown - Mollie Cox Bryan - Maureen E. Doallas - Mylene Dressler - Nicole Easterwood - Angela Elson - Melanie Eversley - Kimeko Farrar - L B Gschwandtner - John Klawitter - Mary Larkin - Linda Lou - Kelly Martineau - Patricia Anne McGoldrick - Ginger McKnight-Chavers - Carl Palmer - Karen Pickell - Dania Rajendra - Cherie Reich - Jarvis Slacks - Tynia Thomassie - Amy Wise - Dallas Woodburn - Zetta Brown - Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson Brown All proceeds from Oil and Water...and Other Things That Don't Mix will go to directly benefit MOBILE BAYKEEPER, and BAY AREA FOOD BANK, two charities helping to combat the effects of the spill and help the communities affected.

“The new generation of twenty-first-century African writers have now come of age. Without a doubt Habila is one of the best.”—Emmanuel Dongala In the oil-rich and environmentally devastated Nigerian Delta, the wife of a British oil executive has been kidnapped. Two journalists—a young upstart, Rufus, and a once-great, now disillusioned veteran, Zaq—are sent to find her. In a story rich with atmosphere and taut with suspense, Oil on Water explores the conflict between idealism and cynical disillusionment in a journey full of danger and unintended consequences. As Rufus and Zaq navigate polluted rivers flanked by exploded and dormant oil wells, in search of “the white woman,” they must contend with the brutality of both government soldiers and militants. Assailed by irresolvable versions of the “truth” about the woman’s disappearance, dependent on the kindness of strangers of unknowable loyalties, their journalistic objectivity will prove unsustainable, but other values might yet salvage their human dignity.

Listen to any news broadcast today and the message comes through loud and clear: Islam is a religion of violence and behind every Muslim there lurks a potential terrorist. Islam is a threat to values of the Christian West. They are like oil and water. Clearly, they don't mix. Oil & Water: Two Faiths One God confronts these popular perceptions head-on. With keen insight and gentle understanding, it explores the differences between Christianity and Islam, as well as the many things these two enduring faith traditions hold in common - including, first and foremost, their belief in and desire to be faithful to the one, true God; their shared roots and scripture (from the Jewish faith); and the spiritual values of peace and social justice. Written for Christians by Muslim world-religions scholar Amir Hussain, the book is divided into two parts. Part 1 provides an overview of the Islamic faith and of the lives of Muslims in North America today. Chapters focus on the place and identity of Muslims in society, as well as on the importance and role of Muhammad, the Qur'an, and basic beliefs and practices (The Five Pillars of Islam). Having provided a foundation for understanding, the book moves on, in Part 2, to explore key points for dialogue today, including issues of violence and jihad, the roles of women and men, and the mystical tradition within Islam. The final two chapters look at interfaith dialogue and the practical aspects of being good "neighbours." In all of this, the book invites the reader to a place of reconciliation, to a place where the truth and value of each of these great faith traditions can be recognized and honoured by the other. In the end, the metaphor of oil and water is an interesting one for the reality of conflict and the hope for reconciliation between Islam and Christianity today.

"The American Chemical Society has launched an activities-based, student-centered approach to the general chemistry course, a textbook covering all the traditional general chemistry topics but arranged in a molecular context appropriate for biology, environmental and engineering students. Written by industry chemists and educators, Chemistry combines cooperative learning strategies and active learning techniques with a powerful media/supplements package to create an effective introductory text." -- Online description.

SCIENCE IS A GREAT AREA TO TEACH, BECAUSE CHILDREN HAVE A NATURAL CURIOSITY ABOUT THE WORLD. THEY WANT TO KNOW WHY AND HOW THINGS WORK, WHAT THINGS ARE MADE OF, AND WHERE THEY CAME FROM.

How fizzy is soda pop after it's warmed up? What happens to a rubber band that's left outside? Which types of clothing keep you warmest, and why? Find out the answers and take top prize at the school science fair with these 47 hands-on and appealing "blue ribbon" chemistry experiments. Test chemical trickery in processed foods; the concept of pH; viscosity; carbonization; fermentation; evaporation; dilution; and lots more. A WINNING combination of learning and fun. Bob Bonnet lives in Clearmont, NJ, and Dan Keen lives in Cape May Court House, NJ. 96 pages, 120 b/w illus., 8 1/4 x 11. NEW IN PAPERBACK

Fact-filled, fun-filled, as interesting to parents as it is to kids, the How Come? series is the trusted source for lively, clear answers to kids’ science queries. Now the best questions and answers from all three books—How Come?; How Come? Planet Earth; and How Come? In the Neighborhood—have been revised, updated, freshly illustrated in full color, supplemented with twenty completely new questions, and combined into one bigger, better volume. How Come? explains, in fascinating detail, more than 200 mysteries and phenomena in the world around us. These are the questions that pique kids’ curiosity—and stump parents. When it rains, does running (rather than walking) to the nearest shelter really keep you any drier? How can a stone skip across a pond (instead of sink)? If the Earth is spinning, why can’t we feel it? Why don’t we fly off? Why do elephants have trunks? And the all-time classic, Why is the sky blue? (Sunlight has a hidden rainbow of colors, and air molecules scatter blues the most—sending bright blue light down to Earth.) The text is clearly written, engaging, and accessible. It’s for every kid who wants to know—and every grown-up who simply doesn’t know.