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Uncle Remus' stories feature a trickster hero called Br'er Rabbit (Brother Rabbit), who uses his wits to slide out of trouble and gain the advantage over the slower witted other animals, many of whom are trying to eat him. Br'er Rabbit stories were mostly collected directly from the afro-american oral story-telling tradition and are said to be a direct interpretation of Yoruba tales of Hare. This book contains 11 unique stories and was the last one published before the author's death. (Introduction by Phil Chenevert)...

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Animals, Children, Fairy tales, Fantasy, Fiction, Teen/Young adult

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The classic story of how Rat, Mole, and the other river-bankers saved Toad from his excesses. This book has it all: excitement, sentiment, destruction of private property (plenty of that), paganism, and a happy ending. The prose is beautiful and occasionally requires the use of a dictionary - I had to look up “asperities.” Written as a children’s story, The Wind in the Willows is enjoyed by many grown-ups who relish Grahame’s ability to evoke the long summer days of childhood. (Summary by Adrian Praetzellis)...

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Animals, Children, Adventure, Comedy

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This book, with the subtitle Across the Continent of South America describes the scientific expedion of 1867 to the equatorial Andes and the Amazon. The route was from Guayaquil to Quito, over the Cordillera, through the forest to Napo, and, finally, on the Rio Napo to Pebas on the Maranon. Besides this record, the expedition - under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institute - collected samples of rocks and plants, and numerous specimen of animals. The scientists also compiled a vocabulary of local languages and produced a new map of equatorial America. James Orton (1830 - 1877) was Professor in Natural History in Vassar College, and corresponding member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. (Summary by Availle, from the Preface)...

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Adventure, Memoirs, Nature, Science, Travel

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John Carter, an American Civil War veteran, goes prospecting in Arizona and, when set upon by Indians, is mysteriously transported to Mars, called Barsoom by its inhabitants. Carter finds that he has great strength on this planet, due to its lesser gravity. Carter soon falls in among the Tharks, a nomadic tribe of the planet's warlike, four-armed, green inhabitants. Thanks to his strength and combat abilities he rises in position in the tribe and earns the respect eventually the friendship of Tars Tarkas one of the Thark chiefs. The Tharks subsequently capture Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, a member of the humanoid red Martian race. The red Martians inhabit a loose network of city states and control the desert planet's canals, along which its agriculture is concentrated. Carter rescues her from the green men to return her to her people. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

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Adventure, Fiction, Mystery, Science fiction

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Naturalis Historia (Latin for Natural History) is an encyclopedia published circa AD 77-79 by Pliny the Elder. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the Roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire field of ancient knowledge, based on the best authorities available to Pliny. The work became a model for all later encyclopedias in terms of the breadth of subject matter examined, the need to reference original authors, and a comprehensive index list of the contents. The scheme of his great work is vast and comprehensive, being nothing short of an encyclopedia of learning and of art so far as they are connected with nature or draw their materials from nature. The work divides neatly into the organic world of plants and animals, and the realm of inorganic matter, although there are frequent digressions in each section. He is especially interested in not just describing the occurrence of plants, animals and insects, but also their exploitation (or abuse) by man, especially Romans. The description of metals and minerals is particularly detailed, and valuable for the history of science as being the m...

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Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), Instruction, Nature

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It is the end of the 19th century. Like thousands of others, the Rudkus family has emigrated from Lithuania to America in search of a better life. As they settle into the Packingtown neighborhood of Chicago, they find their dreams are unlikely to be realized. In fact, just the opposite is quite likely to occur. Jurgis, the main character of the novel, has brought his father Antanas, his fiancée Ona, her stepmother Teta Elzbieta, Teta Elzbieta's brother Jonas and her six children, and Ona's cousin Marija Berczynskas along. The family, naïve to the ways of Chicago, quickly falls prey to con men and makes a series of bad decisions that lead them into wretched poverty and terrible living conditions. All are forced to find jobs in dismal working conditions for their very survival. Jurgis, broken and discouraged, eventually finds solace in the American Socialist movement. This novel was written during a period in American history when “Trusts” were formed by multiple corporations to establish monopolies that stifled competition and fixed prices. Unthinkable working conditions and unfair business practices were the norm. The Jungle’s autho...

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Fiction, Literature

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Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest is a narration of his life story by Abel, a Venezuelan, to a comrade. Once a wealthy young man, he meddled in politics to the extent of provoking a revolution... which failed. Escaping into the tropical forests of Guyana Abel takes up gold hunting, then journal-writing, and fails at both. Now with no aim for his life, he drifts until he takes up residence with a remote Indian tribe. Soon he learns of a wood the Indians avoid, as it is inhabited by a dangerous Daughter of the Didi, who, they say, slew one of them with magic. The fellow was in fact hit with a poisoned dart by accident, but his dying belief that she had caught the dart and hurled it at him survived him. Intrigued, Abel visits the wood repeatedly, and eventually encounters Rima. She indeed is something magical. She seems to have a pact with nature: animals don't molest her, she speaks in a melodious birdsong (as well as Spanish), and she even makes her garments of spider silk. When Abel is bitten by a venomous snake that acts protective of her, she and her grandfather Nuflo nurse Abel back to health. Both Abel and Rima ar...

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Romance

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These articles, pamphlets, and stories relating to the Girls Scouts of America touch on the history, activities, ideals, and traditions of this remarkable girls' organization. Though some of the articles appear redundant, they were selected to represent a contemporary view spanning five years of the organization's early popularity (1917-1921). Of significance are the detailed descriptions of Girl Scout involvement in war work during what is now known as World War I. Girl Scouts were prepared through their training for merit badges to be independent, resourceful, reliable, and helpful. They were able to make their own clothes, grow and cook their own food, care for the sick, and start a small business--skills that prepared young women for their future roles as homemakers, workers, and citizens.A version of the story The Brownies is still part of the Brownie Girl Scout literature into the 21st century. http://books.google.com/books?id=lZNHAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA709#v=onepage&q&f=false The Encyclopaedia and Dictionary of Education edited by Foster Watson (1921) provides the following explanation under the entry for Girl Guides: The 'Brownies' a...

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Essay/Short nonfiction, Children, Philosophy

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Do you own a food business? Are you familiar with the strict packaged food labeling requirements that are issued and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration? If you are among many food manufacturers who find it difficult to decipher FDA’s complex food labeling rules, the FDA Food Label Requirements in a Nutshell e-book will prove to be an invaluable companion and aid in familiarizing yourself with required procedures for labeling your food product. This 29-page, illustrated and easy-to-understand guide is everything you need to know to get you started....

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“It is the sole responsibility of food producers to follow FDA guidelines carefully and give accurate specifications for food label design to their label manufacturer. Since the process of labeling food is very complex, here we will give you an outline of what it entails, with additional resources where you can further inform yourself about food labeling.”...

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5 Basic Elements of a Food Packaging Label Placement of Food Label Elements Type Requirements Ingredients List Nutrition Facts Conclusion Sources...

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Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) , published in 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K. Jerome of a boating holiday on the Thames between Kingston and Oxford.The book was intended initially to be a serious travel guide, with accounts of local history of places along the route, but the humorous elements eventually took over, to the point where the serious and somewhat sentimental passages now seem like an unnecessary distraction to the essentially comic novel. One of the most praised things about Three Men in a Boat is how undated it appears to modern readers. The jokes seem fresh and witty even today.The three men were based on Jerome himself and two real-life friends, George, and Harris. The dog, Montmorency, however, was entirely fictional, but, as Jerome had remarked, had much of me in it. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

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Comedy, Animals, Nature

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I first read this little book when I was in the fifth grade, and now more than fifty years later, I still find it fascinating. Ernest Thompson Seton was a man with a concern for nature her creatures and an excellent story teller. I could almost feel Wahb, the great grizzly’s pain and frustration as he tried to avoid contact with humans and just be left alone to carry out his bear business. Listening to this audio book will be an hour and a half well spent.Summary by Mike Vendetti, Narrator....

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Adventure, Children, Animals, Nature

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If you have read any accounts of adventure in Africa, you will know that travelers never mention animals of any kind that are gifted with the faculty of speech, or gazelles that are overseers for native princes, or hares that eat flesh. No, indeed; only the native-born know of these; and, judging by the immense and rapid strides civilization is making in those parts, it will not be long before such wonderful specimens of zoölogy will be as extinct as the ichthyosaurus, dinornis, and other poor creatures who never dreamed of the awful names that would be applied to them when they were too long dead to show their resentment. As to the truth of these tales, I can only say that they were told to me, in Zanzibar, by negroes whose ancestors told them to them, who had received them from their ancestors, and so back; so that the praise for their accuracy, or the blame for their falsity, lies with the first ancestor who set them going. You may think uncivilized negroes are pretty ignorant people, but the white man who is supposed to have first told the story of “The House that Jack Built” was a mighty poor genius compared with the unknown or...

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Animals, Children, Myths/Legends

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The stories, first published in 1902, are fantastic accounts of how various natural phenomena came about. The original editions of Just So Stories were illustrated with woodcuts by Kipling himself. Read along online and see the illustrations at http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=kipling&book=just&story=_contents mainlesson.com . Each story is accompanied by a poem, in a somewhat ballad style. Many of the stories are addressed to Best Beloved (they were first written for Kipling's eldest daughter, Josephine, who had died during an outbreak of influenza in 1899), and throughout they use a comically elevated style inspired by the formal speech of India, full of long and improbable-sounding words, some of them made up. As a result, it is a delight to read them aloud, and easy to memorise passages from them. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

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Children, Animals, Humor, Nature, Short stories

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This novel is based on the plot that describes the life of a young lady having worked as Assistant Professor at the University level. These days, she is engaged by a Trust, interested in promoting `mental illumination through peace of mind and self-confidence. She is going places to deliver lectures, keep in mind the aims of the organization as well as the composition of the audiences. In fact, since her infancy she is on the move from one part of India to another, even having no idea of the identity of the couple who parented her. Having been reared up by a domestic maid, she was obliged to inherit this type of job to earn for her livelihood. The onset of puberty in the proximity of unrelated men was to be withstood with caution and care for her chastity. These tours of lectureing around, once makes her find a known lady in her audience in Delhi. This incident opens her the way to meet many people in this big city and take her to the person who fathered her. Here, she also gets the truthful information about her mother. ...

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Dear Madhu Ji, On my way back home I recapitulated, as my routine exercise, the discussions at the Coffee House. Can you recall the reaction of Mr Malik to Lal's outburst against the final outcome of Dhananjay Chakrovarty's legal battle to ward off the Capital punishment pronounced on him for rape and murder of a minor girl, when he himself was just 21 years? ……………..." I suppose Mr. Malik came out with some amusing retort, which made almost the entire group at the table giggle and I could not make out anything but only observe Mr. Malik move towards the toilets. Respected Sir, I clearly heard your `Guruji`, I mean Mr Malik, murmur aloud, “Is there any punishment available to your civilized society to punish an errant woman who voluntarily and actively seduces and commits rape on an innocent, uninitiated and in the prime of his youth?” “Do you mean a rape amongst a Lesbian fraternity?” Mr. Lal Singh speaks out smilingly. Mr. Malik simply hung his head down and spoke in his normal pitch, “I mean, on a companion belonging to the opposite sex.” Having uttered these words Guruji peacefully got up and moved in a gentle pace towards pu...

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From earliest origins in Scotland, influenced by early USA development, the history of agricultural education is use to introduce the influences on Australian agricultural education through the system in the most developed State of Victoria from the 1800s to the late 1990s. The creation of the new Institute of Melbourne School of Land and Environment on 1 July 1997 represents a landmark in the history of agricultural, food, forestry, horticulture and natural resource management education in Australia. It indicates a commitment from the Victorian College of Agriculture and Horticulture and the University of Melbourne to merge the agriculture, food, forestry and horticultural activities into a single faculty to become Australia's largest ever such entity. The book traces the story of the forming entities of Land and Food in chronological order touching on high points and attempting to draw out elements which contribute to today's culture within this very large faculty. The personalities in the early stages of agricultural education, including the persuaders, rogues, visionaries, politicians, academics and farmers, are, we believe,...

Table of Contents Details
Acknowledgement Editors' Foreword Chapters: 1. Origins 2. Prelude 3. Dookie 4. Longerenong 5. Burnley 6. University of Melbourne 7. Forestry at Creswick 8. Gilbert Chandler 9. Glenormiston 10. MicMillan 11. VCAH 12. Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture 13. Institute of Land and Food Resources References Index...

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A Collection Of Traditions, Historical Accounts And Kama'aina Recollections Of Kaluanui And Vicinity, Ko'olauloa, Island Of O'ahu.

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At the request of Jeffery Merz, Senior Planner with Oceanit, on behalf of the Department of Land and Natural Resources-Division of State Parks, Kumu Pono Associates, conducted detailed archival-historical research and a limited oral historical interview program with kupuna and several kamaaina oral history interviews to document various aspects of the history of the land of Kaluanui, including the area known as Kaliuwaa, situated in the Koolauloa District on the Island of Oahu (Figure 1). The documentation cited in this study is divided into two primary categories, and focuses on accounts which have had little or no exposure over the last 80 to 150 years or more....

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-- Introduction -- 1 -- Background 1 -- Approach To Conducting The Study -- 1 -- Historical Documentary Resources -- 3 -- Oral History Interviews -- 3 -- A Historical Overview Of Kaluanui And Neighboring Lands Of Koolauloa -- 4 -- Kaluanui Ma Koolauloa 4 -- Residency And Land Use In Kaluanui And Vicinity -- 4 -- Hana Pono A Me Ka Maopopo Aina–Protocols And Knowing The Land: Kamaaina Families Continue Travel And Attachment To Kaliuwaa -- 7 -- Na Moolelo Native Traditions And Historical Narratives Of Kaluanui And Vicinity -- 9 -- Section I. Moolelo Maoli (Native Traditions And History) --9 -- “He Moolelo No Kamapuaa” – A Tradition Of Kamapuaa (1861) --9 -- “Na Wahi Pana O Kaliuwaa” – Storied Places Of Kaliuwaa (1861) --18 -- He Kanikau–Kaluanui Referenced In A Chant Of Lamentation (1862) --21 -- Kamapuaa, The Lono Class Of Priests, And Lands Associated With Them (1868 - 1870) -- 22 -- “Kumumanao” – A Subject Of Thought (1874) --23 -- He Moolelo Kaao O Kamapuaa – -- Legendary Tradition Of Kamapuaa” (1891) -- 25 -- “Na Anoai O Oahu Nei” – The News Of Oahu (1930) --26 -- Section II. Traditions And Historical Descriptions Of The L...

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A stunning, yet heartfelt work of creative nonfiction about a love affair on a Mach speed roller coaster, a firsthand look at the passionate ups and the horrifying downs of two lovers born for each other. “At the End of the Dance” tells the story of the marriage between Cory and Julie set against the backdrop of staggering excess, deviant sex, lung cancer and the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The 100% true story written with humor and startling authenticity written by a husband widowed at far too young of an age....

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The Deathbed I had never called 911 before in my life. I didn’t want to do it. My wife didn’t want me to dial the number either. She didn’t want to go to the hospital, but knew that she had better. She didn’t look good, and she was in a lot of pain. “Did you take some morphine?” I asked her. “Yeah, but it’s not helping.” ...

Table of Contents Details
The Deathbed 5 Love is Like Oxygen 12 The Five Year Plan 16 Diving 18 Awkward Moments 19 My First Letter to Julie 21 Cabo First 22 Q's 25 How it All Started 26 Bobbing for Apples 27 Sense of Relief 29 Dub's 30 Absinthe & Ecstasy 31 Absinthe & Ecstasy Letter 33 Charlie Brown 35 Say It 36 Another Letter 37 Just a Little Badass 38 A Conniving Bastard 39 You Me Learning to be Us 40 Christmas 40 The Clock Strikes Down 42 Brain Drain 43 Moaning my Name 44 Manic 46 The Edge of the Pool 89 Domesticated 91 Don't Give the Girl Jager Shirt 93 Dead Mice 93 Million Dollars/Someone Forgot 95 Victory is Mine 97 The Peace Accord 98 Gunpowder Adrenaline 99 Jac My World 101 Ugly is Ugly 102 Egg Sandwiches and Chinese Food 103 Problems Letter 105 Maiya and Julie 106 At Home in Cloth Walls 107 Two Hours Gone 108 Settling into our Marriage 109 Six Shooter 110 Do as I say… 111 Money Laundering Degree 112 Lehman Going Down 113 Paranormal House 114 Two Truths 115 Broadsided 116 Cornfield Camping 118 Lehman Evacuation Kit 122 Ground Zero 122 My Muse 123 Copper Pipes and Crack Houses 128 The Dog Rescuer 12...

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I started writing this book on my cell phone on an airplane flight- with my phone in “airplane mode”, of course... While trapped in my seat for a couple hours I started typing a list of ways to spend less money and ended up with 101 tips. After I landed, I added some description, stories, and details to each tip to create a resource to help people spend less money. The tips on saving money in this book can be used to save money, of course, but they can also help you think about money and spending in a different way. Things look different when you have your debt and spending under control. New possibilities open up. You have more freedom and less stress. ...

Excerpt Details
Buying food at a convenience store is rarely a good idea, but if you do, here is a tip to avoid paying sales tax on food items. Back in college, I would sometimes get a "grinder" burrito at a convenience store, not a bad lunch for about $1.00. If you paid for the burrito before microwaving it, it was considered a grocery item and there was no sales tax. If you microwaved it first and then paid for it, you were charged 6% sales tax since it was considered a prepared food item. Of course, saving 6 cents on a burrito is not going to change your life, but if you can save 6 cents every time you get a burrito, savings can add up over time. The point is not to pay more than you need to pay for anything and hold on to the savings, no matter how small. Wasting money is a bad habit- I try to adopt a "zero-tolerance" policy for wasting money. I suppose some would say I could save even more money by either not buying the burrito, or by buying the burrito somewhere else- you can get a burrito for 79 cents at Taco John's on "Taco Tuesday", or probably make one at home for about 35 cents. It is always a fuzzy line between "needs" and...

Table of Contents Details
Dedication Introduction Disclaimer Tip 1: Avoid sales tax on food Tip 2: Save big at Kohl’s Tip 3: Save 10% on milk Tip 4: Make coffee at home, save over $500 per year Tip 5: Pack lunch instead of eating out Tip 6: Sharpen disposable razor blades Tip 7: Cut cable TV or satellite TV Tip 8: Buy less gas for your car Tip 9: Enjoy cheap- or free- exercise Tip 10: Save when eating out Tip 11: Get pets at the animal shelter for almost free Tip 12: Have less stuff Tip 13: Haircuts at home Tip 14: Walk instead of drive Tip 15: Credit card points Tip 16: Avoid dry cleaning Tip 17: A Subway $5 footlong is a good deal Tip 18: Use energy efficient lighting Tip 19: Improve home insulation Tip 20: Reduce your house payments with a mortgage re-fi Tip 21: Buy used items and save Tip 22: Stop making car payments Tip 23: Avoid recreational shopping Tip 24: Cut small unnecessary purchases Tip 25: Utilize free resources at your library Tip 26: Free or cheap hobbies Tip 27: Get an artificial Christmas tree Tip 28: Plan meals, shop with coupons Tip 29: Drop newspapers and magazines Tip 30: Staycation instead of vacation ...

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The following collection of archival and oral historical records was compiled by Kumu Pono Associates LLC, at the request of Sam Garcia, Jr., and Jon Garcia, owners of a 5.497 acre parcel of land, situated in the ahupuaa (native land division) of Kaeo, in the Honuaula region of Maui (TMK 2- 1-007:067). The Garcia parcel extends from near sea level at the shore to about fifty feet in elevation above sea level, and the family proposes to develop their five-plus acre parcel into a small subdivision, containing eleven single family residences. As a part of the planning process, a preservation plan is needed for a site identified as a heiau (temple), that is situated on the property. In addition to the heiau, stone walls, habitation features, agricultural mounds, terraces, enclosures, and modified outcrops were also identified, as a part of an archaeological survey conducted by Haun and Associates (Haun et al., 2000 & 2004). The cultural resources are interpreted as dating from the period of pre-history to historic ranching and later residency activities (Haun, 2000 & 2004; and Frampton, 2002, revised, 2004). The research conducted as a...

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Lack of investment in future agile combat-support technologies could lead to a strategic surprise that diverts military attention and resources from critical air, space, and cyber operations. Looking to the national security environment in 2030, this research explores one technology—the microbial fuel cell (MFC)—that gives life to self-contained facilities decoupled from vulnerable supply lines and infrastructure networks. MFCs can dispose of waste (sewage, food scraps, gray water, etc.) while producing clean water (up to 70 percent of required volumes) and power (up to 600 watts per person). Using relevance tree methodology, the research concludes that USAF research and development investment alone will not bring MFCs to fruition. A successful strategy for MFCs will be collaborative, addressing not only the technological barriers but also the key social, industrial, and political hurdles to enabling this capability....