"The Universal Solvent" exemplifies poetry in its role as healer and provocateur. This collection is a narrative of the process of becoming fully human, chronicling the evolution of the soul. In the My Secret Life As a Mystic Poet, an essay commissioned by National Public Radio (NPR), Mr. Holman writes: ..".The gift of universal insight, delivered locally, may be the greatest gift of all. Rumi, the 13th-century Sufi theologian and mystic wrote: 'Spring, and it's hard to be still, / With all the messages pouring through.... / Who am I standing in the midst of this thought-traffic?' I agree with Rumi on the visceral nature of creative and spiritual energy. Messages and poems--do pour through. The poems are messengers from the soul--all flowing freely up and out like water from an artesian well, which requires no pumping. A poem emerges and my attention is called back to the wisdom of the soul and the tutelage of nature...." You will find within: poetry in various formats; an homage to Virgil's Georgics and to Shakespeare; perennial philosophy and Sufism; and a call to spiritual awakening, rendered with humor, clearly and well and with modesty! "Rodney Holman's poetry is very well crafted, consistent in both voice and tone, and very smart." --Paul Beatty, author of "The White Boy Shuffle" and "Big Bank Takes Little Bank" "The language and tone are very strong and specific--every element works together here to create a tight articulation ...." --Joellen Craft, English Department, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

What readers and reviewers say about The Universal Solvent: "I like your strong, sassy voice. Your writing voice is quick, take-no-prisoners, smart, informed." Audrey DeLaMartre, book reviewer, The Phoenix. "I am enjoying The Universal Solvent immenselyit is scary to contemplate the possibility of running out of water. Our son-in-law is a marine biologist and runs a wetland remediation business, so the topic is not new to us. . . I will certainly propose The Universal Solvent to our book club. . . you are such an accomplished author!" Mrs. T. M. Bowes, Carlisle PA "As a resident of what is said to be the driest State (South Australia) in the driest Continent, The Universal Solvent is, to me, both timely and thought-provoking. It gives a clear message concerning a serious environmental problem in a readable and entertaining style, which would be of interest to anyone concerned with water conservation and related issues." Trevor Scott, Curator of Fishes, South Australia Museum, Berkely CA, USA lecturer (ret.) "The Universal Solvent takes the reader on a leap of connected energy to face the imminent possibility of a shortage of fresh drinkable water: this effect has already begun to be evident. The plot shifts the reader at a breathtaking pace along various exciting locations with the main participants so real you sense their presence and character. Fully packed with emotion and intrigue. . .the best piece of work Ive read in the last sixty years." Sikung Lowe Head of National Qi Gong College [email protected] The plot is fiction. The problem is fact. The time is tomorrow. The problem is water: Its contaminated. Governments and think tanks strive to solve the water crisis, but too many unscrupulous politicians and crooks profit from this worldwide shortage of potable water to pursue viable solutions seriouslya fact Rusty Sinclair learns at personal cost. Using an alias, Rusty moves across America like an elusive underground streamhiding, surfacing, hiding. When he surfaces in Fort Trust, a town thats seen better times, he decides to work for a few weeks then shove off for the open road again. His plan changes. He spars with a woman co-worker who reminds him all too much of the guilt-stained past hes trying to elude, yet he must rely on her to help him dust off a retired scientists project that might be the key to solving the water crisison the other hand the project might only be a senile lunatics fantasy. Clete Shatz, owner of the company Rusty works at, and an acute judge of mortals weaknesses, draws Rusty into an embezzlement scheme to bilk American citizens of mega-millions of tax dollars in return for potable water. At the ethical crossroads, each man must make decisions that will not only put himself at risk, but change the lives of the people he loves and the lives of everyone who thirsts for water. For both Rusty and Clete, the easy path is not the best path. Lives hang in the balance either way. Using facts, statistics and predictions currently available from the U.S. Government and its agencies and from environmental groups, Fowlers The Universal Solvent takes readers on an entertaining ride that will change the way they think about humanitys most precious resource.

Black & white print. Concepts of Biology is designed for the typical introductory biology course for nonmajors, covering standard scope and sequence requirements. The text includes interesting applications and conveys the major themes of biology, with content that is meaningful and easy to understand. The book is designed to demonstrate biology concepts and to promote scientific literacy.

This book, appropriate for newcomers to the field, gives an overview of the many different kinds of solvents including alternative greener solvent choices.

The authors have correlated many experimental observations and theoretical discussions from the scientific literature on water. Topics covered include the water molecule and forces between water molecules; the thermodynamic properties of steam; the structures of the ices; the thermodynamic, electrical, spectroscopic, and transport properties of the ices and of liquid water; hydrogen bonding in ice and water; and models for liquid water. The main emphasis of the book is on relatingthe properties of ice and water to their structures. Some background material in physical chemistry has been included in order to ensure that the material is accessible to readers in fields such as biology, biochemistry, and geology, as well as to chemists and physicists.

The search for life in the solar system and beyond has to date been governed by a model based on what we know about life on Earth (terran life). Most of NASA's mission planning is focused on locations where liquid water is possible and emphasizes searches for structures that resemble cells in terran organisms. It is possible, however, that life exists that is based on chemical reactions that do not involve carbon compounds, that occurs in solvents other than water, or that involves oxidation-reduction reactions without oxygen gas. To assist NASA incorporate this possibility in its efforts to search for life, the NRC was asked to carry out a study to evaluate whether nonstandard biochemistry might support life in solar system and conceivable extrasolar environments, and to define areas to guide research in this area. This book presents an exploration of a limited set of hypothetical chemistries of life, a review of current knowledge concerning key questions or hypotheses about nonterran life, and suggestions for future research.

Green Sustainable Process for Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Science: Switchable Solvents explores the preparation, properties, chemical processes and applications of this class of green solvents. The book provides an in-depth overview on the area of switchable solvents in various industrial applications, focusing on the purification and extraction of chemical compounds utilizing green chemistry protocols that include liquid-liquid, solid-liquid, liquid-gas and lipids separation technologies. In addition, it includes recent advances in greener extraction and separation processes. This book will be an invaluable guide to students, professors, scientists and R&D industrial specialists working in the field of sustainable chemistry, organic, analytical, chemical engineering, environmental and pharmaceutical sciences. - Provides a broad overview of switchable solvents in sustainable chemical processes - Compares the use of switchable solvents as greener solvents over conventional solvents - Outlines eco-friendly organic synthesis and chemical processes using switchable solvents - Lists various industrial separations/extraction processes using switchable solvents