Subject, story approach

Deliberately, this chapter remains simple—too simple, as some of the readers who are familiar with the subject may think. However, the advantage of the simple approach will be to demonstrate, step by step, how the various processes contribute to the final story and also to reveal the similarities to other environmental systems treated in this book. The chapter does not try to compete with the vast specialized literature on the physics and chemistry of porous media (e.g., Domenico and Schwartz, 1998 Hillel, 1998). 

We observe that the initial activity can be extrapolated using Equations 27 and 28 if we know the dependence of a on f and if we know 0. A general approach to finding these quantities and the reason why we use a = fb is an involved story that will be the subject of a later publication. 

Below I outline briefly some recent findings in my laboratory in a program directed at tumor inhibitors of plant origin. This program, which has already led to the isolation of the active principles of more than 80 tumor-inhibitory extracts, has been the subject of two recent reviews (22). For this discussion of the future of plant-derived drugs, the stories of vernolepin and jatrophone will exemplify one important approach. 

The nerve poisons, or neurotoxins, are wonderfully well designed to act quickly to immobilise the snake s prey or attacker. They inhibit the formation or conduction of nerve impulses and so prevent movement. This is a particularly sinister approach to securing prey, because the unfortunate animal is immobilised while not being killed. Indeed, it is likely that in some cases the prey is conscious and aware, but simply unable to move because the venom acts as a motor nerve block (a similar approach is used in anaesthesia to facilitate muscle relaxation, particularly in abdominal surgery and one hears of horror stories of immobilised, helpless patients being subjected to surgery while not properly anaesthetised — this is how the snake s prey might feel ). 

There could be many variations on this theme depending on style and subject matter. The point is that the approach is simple and all in one place. As a reader I don t need to wade through test plans, defect logs, requirements matrices or any other collateral - those artefacts are available as and when 1 want to see further evidence. Where there are multiple key hazards this kind of story would be repeated, not for every last cause and control in the hazard register but for those where the risk justified the effort. 

The downside, Else notes, is that "it s very, very tough to do any kind of cinema VOTte film—which involves really discovering the story—inexpensively." Even when filmmakers carefully select a subject for the strength of its characters and the potential of a strong narrative line, the films, such as Salesman or Control Room, are built on an observational approach that takes considerable time to shape in an editing room. 

What other films have been done on the same or related subjects How does their success (or lack of success) inform your approach to your story How does your story build on or differ from these projects As mentioned previously, the fact that a topic has been covered is not necessarily a deterrent, given all the different ways a topic can be treated and the different venues available. But you should demonstrate that you know whaf s out there. 

I wanted to talk particularly about Gonzo, Taxi to the Dark Side, and Enron. At first glance, these are difficult subjects a deceased writer, torture, accounting. How do you approach a subject, and how do you begin to find a story within it ... 

The team of authors for this edition comprises both those revising and updating their chapters and some new ones. The latter s different approach to the subject matter is reflected in the new titles Organisational Structures - A Story of Evolution (chapter 5) and Environmental Impact of the Chemical Industry (chapter 9). The chapter on Energy retains its original title but different approach of the new authors is evident. 

---