This is a book for the layperson, but a book, definitely, for a layperson who doesn’t shy away from the technical. (The chemistry, at times, had me floundering, as did some of the geology). But, while I did find myself getting lost occasionally, and I would’ve liked more on the cultural significance of water—this book was still a good read, mainly because I learnt so much from it. Ice acting as a metal? The fact that marine life produces half the oxygen in the atmosphere through photosynthesis? That newly formed sea ice is naturally salty, but (because the salt drains away gradually into the water below) it eventually becomes tasteless, while the water below becomes extra salty? About the Mpemba Effect, and how it was ‘discovered’? This book sets out with a good idea, which is to relate what is known about the physics and chemistry of water, and about the parts it plays (and has played) on Earth and on other celestial bodies. In this it largely achieves its objective. It has some very good points – for example, it explains such things as the anomalous expansion of water as it freezes (and goes some way to explain the significance of that phenomenon). It also explains the significance of water to life on Earth – and that leads into an interesting discussion of the nature of life, and what life might look like on other planets, where it might depend on molecules other than water for its existence. So we're going online for the duration of the crisis to see if we can keep the food and toilet paper flowing.... (we live in boats - what even IS toilet paper.. ?) Starting as a personal mantra, Water The Bamboo has evolved through the daily practice and hard-earned success of the leaders, coaches, high-performing individuals, and teams who have embraced the philosophy. Greg and Water The Bamboo were featured on a Public Broadcasting special that aired on stations across the country. This is one of the most ambitious books that I’ve read in a long time. It is both deep and broad.”— NPR, All ThingsConsidered

What makes this fascinating book stand out from other accounts of how water has shaped human history across the ages is Boccaletti’s brilliant and nuanced treatment of the political and economic dimensions of water’s role in history. The breadth and substance of the narrative are outstanding. The book is a tour de force!” —Michael Hanemann, Julie A. Wrigley Chair in Sustainability, Arizona State Water has also shaped the world we live in. Whether it is by gently carving the Grand Canyon over millennia, or in shaping how civilisations were built; we have settled our cities along rivers and coasts. Scientific studies show how we feel calmer and more relaxed when next to water. We holiday by the seas and lakes. Yet one day soon wars may be fought over access to water. Ritengo che i presupposti di partenza per questo libro fossero molto interessanti, ma ne ho trovato la realizzazione povera. As humanity strays across planetary boundaries, Boccaletti’s political biography of water is essential reading. This bold and ambitious saga offers important lessons and instils humility in the reader, both of which we need as we face the dangers of increasing pressure on nature, climate change, and corrosive inequality.” —Rachel Kyte, Dean, The Fletcher School, Tufts University Water exhibits some very peculiar properties, which are nicely summarized in the book. There are a few effects such as Mpemba Effect, which is difficult to explain why. This effect is the property of hot water that freezes faster than cold water when both are placed in the same freezer at sub-zero temperatures. The molecular weight of water is very low, as it is a compound of one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms. This is lighter than even air, which is mostly a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen molecules, in both of which the molecule consists of two atoms. Now, the strange part! Even though water is thus lighter than air, it is a liquid at room temperature whereas the heavier air is a gas! Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S), which is nearly twice the molecular weight of water, is also a gas! Similar is the case with ammonia. This was a paradox to the scientific world until the concept of hydrogen bonding was developed. Water is a polar liquid, with the two hydrogen atoms connected to the lone oxygen atom at an angle of 104 degrees with each other. These hydrogen atoms possess positive charge which induces attraction with nearby oxygen atoms that are negatively charged. This affinity is not as strong as the conventional covalent or ionic bonds, but sufficient enough to change its physical properties. This weak interaction with fellow molecules causes water to remain a liquid at normal temperatures. As we know, water is essential to life in the liquid form. If not for this quirk of water, life would not have existed on earth – at least, not in the way we are so familiar with. However, not all the water on earth is available for life. As per scientific estimates, only 1% of the terrestrial water is accessible to the flora and fauna as a liquid.

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Last year I read Bruce Lee: A Life by Matthew Polly. It was an exceptional lens into the life of Bruce Lee. A life that was rich, inspiring, and one that ended far too early. It's hard not to be inspired by the things Bruce Lee accomplished in his short time on Earth. He achieved incredible mastery over who he was, a "human, fully expressed." Jest to książka bardzo dobra na początek, prosta, nieprzytłaczająca. Osoby zaawansowane w rozwoju duchowym i osobistym mogą nie natrafić tu na wiele nowych nauk. Nie znajdą tu skomplikowanych przekazów. Throughout the book, we return again and again to a voyage Jha took to the Antarctic on a scientific research vessel. This strand is sometimes successful, sometimes less so, but the cryosphere section is where it best comes to life, as Jha steps on ice-floes, travels across a blinding ice landscape in an amphibious buggy, and visits the huts left by a 1912 scientific expedition led by Douglas Mawson. There is science, but also Adélie penguins, ferocious katabatic winds and plenty of ice (the Antarctic is covered by 10,000tn tons of snow and ice). Other characters are left as blank as the landscape: no one is identified beyond “scientists”, or “the expedition leader”, leaving the penguins to add some colour and personality. Perhaps that’s forgivable, as the book is about the science of water, but it can – ironically – make for a dry read that often feels dutiful rather than captivating.

What is water? The famous actor Leonardo Di Caprio was once quoted as saying the following about water... A fascinating analysis that will bridge the interests of environmentalists and historians, political scientists, or economists.” — Library Journal Simply put, Greg is a problem solver who will help you and your organization flourish. Water The Bamboo is not a feel-good philosophy; it’s about seeing the world in a new and profound way for better results. Boccaletti brilliantly traces the history of how human civilization has been shaped by its attempts to control water for economic and societal benefit. As the impacts of climate change become clearer, policymakers the world over would be well-served to recognize water as a public good, respecting the importance of this invaluable, shared resource to our very survival.” —Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior 2013-17Bruce Lee’s daughter illuminates her father’s most powerful life philosophies―demonstrating how martial arts are a perfect metaphor for personal growth, and how we can practice those teachings every day. "Empty your mind; be formless, shapeless like water." Bruce Lee is a cultural icon, renowned the world over for his martial arts and film legacy. But Lee was also a deeply philosophical thinker, learning at an early age that martial arts are more than just an exercise in physical discipline―they are an apt metaphor for living a fully realized life. Now, in Be Water, My Friend, Lee’s daughter Shannon shares the concepts at the core of his philosophies, showing how they can serve as tools of personal growth and self-actualization. Each chapter brings a lesson from Bruce Lee’s teachings, expanding on the foundation of his iconic “be water” philosophy. Over the course of the book, we discover how being like water allows us to embody fluidity and naturalness in life, bringing us closer to our essential flowing nature and our ability to be powerful, self-expressed, and free. Coal Drops Yard –Named after the unusual buildings that were made to transfer coal, you can find a trendy shopping and foodie destination just a few minutes from Word on the Water. You can stop by here for a coffee or lunch. It was worth the effort. And this book feels like someone is telling me a story in a way I see myself in it and the character as myself in there knowing some "harsh realities" about myself as the chapters went on. I took a whole day and made it to comfort me and motivate me at the same time. Because I needed both at the same time.

Alok Jha is one of the brightest young science writers around...He belongs to a select band of science communicators, and knows his science at a deep level and can put it across." Peter Forbes, The Independent. There is a state of mind known as "The flow state" first coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. A flow state is a state of existence where we are fully immersed in the present moment and we are performing at our optimum level with the least stress. It is also known as being in the zone. The story of Bruce Lee is the story where he discovers himself, and learn his own way to attain flow state. He compares the flow state to be like water. Water always changes itself to fit its surroundings. Bruce is telling everyone to find their path while being not restricted to one certain way. Being restricted to one thing can sometimes be what that is limiting us. Hence, we must free ourselves of all dogma and be boundless and find our own paths to our goals. Water as itself is expressing fully itself with respect to its surroundings, it does not restrict its movements while in particular surroundings. Hence, Be Water, My Friend! Detto questo, devo ammettere che a volte ero più interessata alla spedizione verso il Polo Sud (che sicuramente merita di essere affrontata in un libro a parte) rispetto alla mera trattazione scientifica, che invece ho spesso trovato (ahimè) pesante, a tratti ripetitiva e non sempre ben coinvolgente/ben realizzata (anche se potrebbe essere un mio limite, visto che è da un bel po' che non mi approccio alla non-fiction scientifica). What his daughter does here is take his philosophy and apply it to all aspects of life. She breaks down his ideas into bite sized chunks. I marked several passages, but I think this is my favorite: This heavy-duty science is leavened by a first person account of the author’s experience on a scientific cruise to Antarctica. This provides the starting point of descriptions of ice formation (although the book is a bit thin on glaciology), the oceanic circulation system and the existence of life at extremes of temperature, and so forth.Boyne’s novel is propulsive and deftly dramatised, so that Willow’s journey is expressed through human interaction Against this expansive vision Wilson-Lee sets the work of Luís de Camões, Portugal’s greatest poet. Of particular interest here is The Lusiads, his epic account of Vasco da Gama and the Portuguese heroes who sailed around the Cape of Good Hope opening a new route to India. The title itself clangs with nationalist pomp, being derived from the ancient Roman name for Portugal, Lusitania. In addition, De Camões transforms Da Gama and his crew into Jason and the Argonauts, semi-divine heroes questing east in search of miraculous treasures. Despite his impeccable humanist credentials, the Iberian Shakespeare’s narrative is one of triumphalist place-naming, land-staking and colonial bluster. The British Victorians, naturally, loved him. To jest książka "dla każdego", nie wymaga żadnej wcześniejszej wiedzy, przygarnia wszystkich jak przyjaciel i przekazuje swoją mądrość, w sposób płynny i kojący - jak sama woda.

It delights again and again because, as in all the best science writing, the tale is stranger and more curious than one could ever imagine." Stephen Curry, the Guardian. Magisterial. Boccaletti has pinned down our complex relationship with our most vital resource.We live, like the ancients, in a hydraulic civilization – one determined to a remarkable degree by where and when we can find water. As he reveals with startling clarity, we face a water crisis as profound as our climate crisis. The fate of the Anthropocene hangs on the fate of water.” —Fred Pearce, author of When The Rivers Run Dry This is not a biography of Bruce Lee, nor a memoir of his daughter, Shannon Lee. It's more of a self-help book with Bruce Lee's life long ideas and teachings, which could be appplied to obstacles in every day life and not only martial arts. Although the book was not what I expected at all since I never read self-help books, it should be an enjoyable read for none "die hard" fans, especially those that are not Chinese and non martial art practioners. Shannon Lee was only 4 when her Dad died, I was a teenager. To be fair, I grew up reading and knowing everything about Bruce Lee, including some of his writings and journals in Chinese, which, sadly, were not included in this book. He also inspired me to learn martial arts, a very similar form as his jetkundo, at a young age.Bruce Lee is a cultural icon, renowned the world over for his martial arts and film legacy. But Lee was also a deeply philosophical thinker, learning at an early age that martial arts are more than just an exercise in physical discipline―they are an apt metaphor for living a fully realized life. Water molecules helped create the Earth, life on it and us. We have built our worlds, and we are ourselves built of this remarkable substance. Jha’s book is often remarkable, too. It is overlong; in places it needed more zealous editing. But it holds wonders enough that you can swim through the flaws, and into its deeps. Greg learned the virtues of discipline and hard work from his grandfather, a Texas farmer. Greg was the first in his family to graduate from college; he played basketball at the University of Oregon where he was twice named Inspirational Player of the Year. After receiving a political science and law degree from the University of Oregon, he practiced law within a large organization. Self-actualization (love this part of the book. It taught me some very important things about my present life) Greg Bell, CSP, is a recognized thought leader, author of Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals, and founder of the Water The Bamboo Center For Leadership. As an innovator and keen observer of highly successful leaders and teams, he distilled his findings into the Water The Bamboo approach to success. Through his entertaining and content-driven keynotes and seminars, Greg has encouraged and inspired thousands of leaders and teams to identify and water their bamboo to create remarkable results.