Search results for ""Author Richard Ellis""

A perfect fish in the evolutionary sense, the broadbill swordfish derives its name from its distinctive bill - much longer and wider than the bill of any other billfish - which is flattened into the sword we all recognize. And though the majesty and allure of this warrior fish has commanded much attention - from adventurous sportfishers eager to land one to ravenous diners eager to taste one - no one has yet been bold enough to truly take on the swordfish as a biographer. Who better to do so than Richard Ellis, a master of marine natural history? "Swordfish" is his ode to this mighty fighter. The swordfish, whose scientific name means "gladiator," can take on anyone and anything, including ships, boats, sharks, submarines, divers, and whales, and in this book Ellis regales us with tales of its vitality and strength. He makes it easy to understand why the fish has inspired so many to take up the challenge of epic sportfishing battles as well as the longline fishing expeditions recounted by writers such as Linda Greenlaw and Sebastian Junger. Swordfish, he explains, hunt at the surface as well as thousands of feet down in the depths, and like tuna and some sharks, have an unusual circulatory system that gives them a significant advantage over their prey, no matter the depth in which they hunt. Their adaptability enables them to swim in waters the world over, and the largest ever caught on rod and reel was landed in Chile in 1953, weighing in at 1,182 pounds. Ellis' detailed and fascinating, fact-filled biography takes us behind the swordfish's huge, cornflower-blue eyes and provides a complete history of the fish from prehistoric fossils to its present-day endangerment, as our taste for swordfish has had a drastic effect on their population the world over. Throughout, Ellis' own drawings and paintings capture the allure of the fish and bring it to life for armchair fishermen and landlocked readers alike.

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Reiki is a unique system of healing that allows you to harness and transmit energy through your hands, restoring balance and harmony within the body and bringing relief to a wide range of physical and emotional problems. This book, by renowned Reiki teacher Richard Ellis, illustrates all the hand positions used for the first level of Reiki, but it goes much further and shows them in their relation to the seven chakras. Chakras are the main energy points of the body and provide the anatomy of energy healing. These are different for everyone, and so to practise Reiki effectively you need to understand a person's chakras, which will in turn explain the type of person they are and the health problems they are vulnerable to. For example, one person may have an excessive first chakra, making them prone to obesity or digestive problems, and to pessimism, while another may be deficient, making them vulnerable to anorexia and restlessness. You would therefore approach these two people differently. Reiki and the Seven Chakras captures the feeling of wonder that surrounds Reiki, but it is also an immensely practical guide. So many of the current books on Reiki are very dry, following a formula of detailing the history of Reiki healing and then showing you how to do it. This one breaks the mould and is written from a very personal point of view, which makes it incredibly interesting to read and also very accessible – essential if you are to understand the true nature and potential of Reiki.

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In parts of Korea and China, moon bears, black but for the crescent-shaped patch of white on their chests, are captured in the wild and imprisoned in squeeze cages, where steel catheters drain their bile as a cure for ailments ranging from upset stomach to skin burns. Rhinos are being illegally poached for their horns, as are tigers for their bones, thought to improve virility. Booming economies and growing wealth in parts of Asia are increasing demand for these precious medicinals while already endangered species are being sacrificed for temporary treatments for nausea and erectile dysfunction. Richard Ellis, one of the world's foremost experts in wildlife extinction, brings his alarm to the pages of "Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn", in the hope that through an exposure of this drug trade, something can be done to save the animals most direly threatened. Trade in animal parts for traditional Chinese medicine is a leading cause of species endangerment in Asia, and poaching is increasing at an alarming rate. Although most of traditional Chinese medicine is not a cause for concern because it relies on herbs and other plants, as wildlife habitats are shrinking for the hunted large species, the situation is becoming ever more critical. Ellis tells us what has been done successfully, and contemplates what can and must be done to save these rare animals from extinction.

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Plato’s Symposium, composed in the early fourth century BC, demonstrates how powerful the skills of reasoning and evaluation can be. Known to philosophers for its seminal discussion of the relationship of love to knowledge, it is also a classic text for demonstrating the two critical thinking skills that define Plato’s whole body of work. Plato’s philosophical technique of dialogue is the perfect frame for producing arguments and presenting a persuasive case for a given point of view, and at the same time judging the strength of arguments, their relevance and their acceptability. Staging a fictional debate between characters (wealthy Athenians at a dinner party) who must respond in turn to each others’ arguments and points of view means that, at every stage, Plato evaluates the previous argument, assesses its strength and relevance, and then proceeds (through the next character) to reason out a new argument in response. Exerting unparalleled influence on the techniques of philosophical thought, Plato’s use of dialogue is a supreme example of these two crucial critical thinking skills.

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