Peter Kenny

Peter Kenney is known worldwide as a passionate fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and the world of fantasy. Using this love and his wide-ranging imagination, Mr. Kenny has produced (in the guise of "selecting" poems and stories by his "uncle," Fortinbras Proudfoot, Esq.) Dreams of Another Land, a collection that explores the history and happenings of a faraway land that still feels very familiar to us. Small folk, dragons, warriors, ladies, and wizards and their adventures are described in rhythmic language that is enjoyable to read, either aloud or silently.Standout poems include "Mushrooms," for its galloping pace and humour, and "The Last Ship Into the West," for its simultaneous elegiac farewell to one departing world, and hopeful acceptance of a new age dawning.Beautifully complementing the text are Sue Bradley's watercolour illustrations. Their soft, yet bright, colours and delicacy of line are perfectly suited to "Mr. Proudfoot's" stories. By turns whimsical and wistful, Dreams of Another Land will satisfy readers of all ages.Sherry Larson-Rhodes: Self-employed Freelance Editor and Reference & Instruction Librarian at Milne Library, SUNY Genesco.

Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution is a 1902 collection of anthropological essays by Russian naturalist and anarchist philosopher Peter Kropotkin. The essays explore the role of mutually-beneficial cooperation and reciprocity (or ""mutual aid"") in the animal kingdom and human societies both past and present. It is an argument against theories of social Darwinism that emphasize competition and survival of the fittest, and against the romantic depictions by writers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who thought that cooperation was motivated by universal love. Instead Kropotkin argues that mutual aid has pragmatic advantages for the survival of human and animal communities and, along with the conscience, has been promoted through natural selection. Mutual Aid is considered a fundamental text in anarchist communism.

Once again Peter Kenny, known worldwide as a passionate fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and the world of fantasy, has given us a treasury of poems, Memories of Another Land. Mr. Kenny has revisited the world of his first collection of poems, Dreams of Another Land, to continue to explore the bygone years and half-remembered histories of this other land, both familiar and strange to our own eyes and memories. Brave warriors, travelling wizards, voyagers making their long ways across land and sea, and lovers both together and apart are described with language that in places is delicately pastel and in other places vividly coloured. Some poems describe dark beings and darkness falling across the land, but against this gloom stands the presence--in some poems prominently, in others as a small brave figure--of hope, for better days, peaceful times, and love reunited. Mr. Kenny's previous illustrator, Sue Bradley, has again provided lovely watercolour illustrations to pair with the poems. Notable poems include "The Clans Will Gather," with its echoes of Celtic traditions, and "His Golden Ring," with just the right touch of eeriness along with vivid imagery. The Title Poem "Memories of Another Land" is a lovely poem which reminds us that not all we "know" is true, and that it's what people have inside them that produces evil--or by extension good. Big folk and small, young folk and old, will all find something to enjoy in Memories of Another Land.Sherry Larson-Rhodes. First Year Experience Librarian at SUNY Geneseo, & freelance editor.

A Handbook of Public Speaking for Scientists and Engineers helps scientists and engineers improve their skills at speaking in public in the course of their professional activities. The book shows how best to prepare papers for presentation at a technical conference and how to put cases to committee meetings. Not only does the book deal with specific events, but it also provides the techniques of more effective speaking, whether presenting papers, answering questions, or speaking off-the-cuff. The book is written in a highly entertaining manner and should put all complacent lecturers on their guard.

Everyone encounters statistics on a daily basis. They are used in proposals, reports, requests, and advertisements, among others, to support assertions, opinions, and theories. Unless you’re a trained statistician, it can be bewildering. What are the numbers really saying or not saying? Better Business Decisions from Data: Statistical Analysis for Professional Success provides the answers to these questions and more. It will show you how to use statistical data to improve small, every-day management judgments as well as major business decisions with potentially serious consequences.Author Peter Kenny—with deep experience in industry—believes that "while the methods of statistics can be complicated, the meaning of statistics is not." He first outlines the ways in which we are frequently misled by statistical results, either because of our lack of understanding or because we are being misled intentionally. Then he offers sound approaches for understanding and assessing statistical data to make excellent decisions. Kenny assumes no prior knowledge of statistical techniques; he explains concepts simply and shows how the tools are used in various business situations.With the arrival of Big Data, statistical processing has taken on a new level of importance. Kenny lays a foundation for understanding the importance and value of Big Data, and then he shows how mined data can help you see your business in a new light and uncover opportunity.Among other things, this book covers:How statistics can help you assess the probability of a successful outcomeHow data is collected, sampled, and best interpretedHow to make effective forecasts based on the data at handHow to spot the misuse or abuse of statistical evidence in advertisements, reports, and proposalsHow to commission a statistical analysisArranged in seven parts—Uncertainties, Data, Samples, Comparisons, Relationships, Forecasts, and Big Data—Better Business Decisions from Data is a guide for busy people in general management, finance, marketing, operations, and other business disciplines who run across statistics on a daily or weekly basis. You’ll return to it again and again as new challenges emerge, making better decisions each time that boost your organization’s fortunes—as well as your own.

A Handbook of Public Speaking for Scientists and Engineers helps scientists and engineers improve their skills at speaking in public in the course of their professional activities. The book shows how best to prepare papers for presentation at a technical conference and how to put cases to committee meetings. Not only does the book deal with specific events, but it also provides the techniques of more effective speaking, whether presenting papers, answering questions, or speaking off-the-cuff. The book is written in a highly entertaining manner and should put all complacent lecturers on their guard.