Search results for ""Author Carrie"

The DEBUT NOVEL that you won't be able to resist falling in love with. Heart-warming romance and a breath-taking countryside escape - this is the PERFECT summer read . . .'A lovely debut, full of fun and colour' BELLA OSBORNE'A heart-warming and uplifting romance - the perfect summer read!' HOLLY MARTIN'Such a fun ride! Faulkner brings colour and humour to every line in this hoot of a debut. If you're looking for a big splash of bright sunshine in your life, this is it' PERNILLE HUGHESFALLING IN LOVE ISN'T ALWAYS SO BLACK AND WHITE . . .When vibrant but penniless Lexie is dumped by her posh boyfriend who is looking for a more financially suitable match, she decides to pack up her beloved orange campervan Penny in search of a new path. Stumbling upon a vacancy at a family-run paint company in the Cotswolds, Lexie believes she's found her perfect match . . .Lexie arrives at Nutgrass Hall, home of Carrington Paints, but it seems that owner Benedict Carrington is less than impressed with her arrival, and Lexie realises she'll have her work cut out for her if she's to convince stuffy "Beige Ben" to trust her with rescuing his out-of-touch business. But Ben has more on his mind than just the company - his mother is determined to find him a suitable wife worthy of carrying the Carrington family name, or she'll take the business from him.As Lexie sets to work on injecting some life colour into Carrington Paints, Ben allows himself to be set up with Tewkesbury's finest ladies. But the more time the pair spend together, the more they realise their feelings for each other aren't so black and white. Will Lexie be able to brighten into Ben's colourless world before it's too late?Let yourself be whisked away with A Colourful Country Escape and fall in love with the cosy Cotswold charm, the colourful characters and some heart-stopping romance. Perfect for fans of Heidi Swain, Jo Thomas and Bella Osborne.'I absolutely adored this book. Fresh, funny and upbeat, A Colourful Country Escape is rom-com perfection!' KITTY WILSON'An impressive debut of pure delight - I loved it!' NICOLA MAY'A debut triumph! Endlessly joy-lit. Bursting with character and warmth' CHRISTIE BARLOW'A vibrant, charming book. Makes me quite want to take a colourful adventure of my own, especially after these rather beige past couple of years!' ISLA GORDON'A sparkling romantic debut that whisks you along for the ride' NINA KAYE

Read more less

The Trials of Empire is the epic conclusion to the bestselling Empire of the Wolf series, where Sir Konrad Vonvalt - the most powerful and feared of the Emperor's Justices - must finally face the dark powers that seek to detroy the Empire.THE TIME OF JUDGEMENT IS AT HANDThe Empire of the Wolf is on its knees, but there's life in the great beast yet.To save it, Sir Konrad Vonvalt and Helena must look beyond its borders for allies - to the wolfmen of the southern plains, and the pagan clans in the north. But old grievances run deep, and both factions would benefit from the fall of Sova.Even these allies might not be enough. Their enemy, the zealot Bartholomew Claver, wields infernal powers bestowed on him by a mysterious demonic patron. If Vonvalt and Helena are to stand against him, they will need friends on both sides of the mortal plane - but such allegiances carry a heavy price.As the battlelines are drawn in both Sova and the afterlife, the final reckoning draws close. Here, at the beating heart of the Empire, the two-headed wolf will be reborn in a blaze of justice . . . or crushed beneath the shadow of tyranny. Praise for the Empire of the Wolf series'A stunning piece of modern fantasy writing' RJ Barker'Utterly compelling, thoroughly engrossing and written with such skilful assurance I could barely put it down' Nicholas Eames'A fantastic debut' Peter McLean'Equal parts heroic fantasy and murder mystery . . . Richard Swan's sophisticated take on the fantasy genre will leave readers hungry for more' Sebastien de Castell'Great characters, compelling and wonderfully written. A brilliant debut and fantastic start to the series' James Islington'Totally addictive' Novel Notions'A brilliant book, with intrigue, excellent character arcs, a brutal magic system and a story I just could not put down' Grimdark Magazine'An absorbing fantasy murder mystery . . . I have been thoroughly hooked by this series and cannot wait for the next helping of political upheaval' Fantasy Book Critic'Fantasy, mystery, drama, intrigue, action - The Justice of Kings has it all' Bibliosanctum'One of those utterly compelling and believable books that begs to be read in one sitting. This is going to be one of the standouts of the year' British Fantasy Society'Swan's debut is a thrilling epic fantasy with a murder mystery and supernatural twist that will delight fans of Sherlock Holmes. It certainly delighted me' Fantasy Hive'Swan has built a dark and gritty world, filled it with beautifully written characters and lays out a master-crafted story to create an incredible book that you can't put down' FanFiAddictThe Empire of the Wolf trilogyThe Justice of KingsThe Tyranny of FaithThe Trials of Empire

Read more less

'One Cornish Summer captured my heart and didn't let it go until long after I'd finished it. A heart rending story about secrets, lies and the power of love' Cathy BramleyAgainst the beauty of Cornwall, a story of two women struggling with their past: one cannot remember hers, the other cannot forget...When Hebe receives a life-changing diagnosis at only 53, she struggles to make sense of what it will mean for her, her job and the man she loves. With memories slipping away by the day, she flees to the one place she has always felt safe and peaceful - Cornwall, and the house her family spent so many summers in. Lucy is having her own crisis, and seizes the chance to follow her aunt to Cornwall. Curious about what has driven Hebe there after so many years, she also has to battle with the secret she has kept since her family's last summer there more than ten years ago. Both women will learn that memories live in our hearts and that sharing secrets can set you free... But can they find their way back to the things that are truly important to them? The perfect escapist read for fans of Rachel Hore, Lucinda Riley and Karen Swan.'Full of warmth, wisdom and compassion...Liz Fenwick's writing is vivid, satisfying and descriptive' Daily Express'A moving and heart-felt story' The Lady'Fenwick brings us her best novel yet in One Cornish Summer as she casts her humane and discerning eye over family bonds, relationships, the nature of love, and the power of the landscape to inspire, console and renew... Immaculately researched and emotionally astute, this is a fabulous holiday read with heart, drama, history and humour' Lancashire Post***** Readers are enchanted by One Cornish Summer: 'A joy to read''Once more Liz has transported me to my favourite place in Cornwall to walk side by side with her characters...A perfect read in any season!''Wonderful characters, secrets and romance...hard to put down''Simply outstanding...a story that will carry you away''Liz Fenwick has done it again...A must read''Characters who become part of your life in a beautiful, evocative setting''Love, relationships, and secrets...a sublime read which is cleverly crafted, intricately researched and beautifully written''This book will always be a very special one for me''Absolutely perfect Cornish read''What a heartwarming but heartbreaking story'

Read more less

Los yacimientos olvidados: registro y musealización de campos de batalla is a project that aims to encompass all aspects of battlefield archaeology, in order to be a reference work in this study area. Therefore, a detailed historiographical study about this branch of archaeology has been made, from early origins until the present day, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of battlefield archaeology. Two methodologies, archaeological and museographical, are proposed for the treatment of this particular type of archaeological site. In order to prove the viability of both methodologies, a theoretical application has been carried out in two research examples from different periods, demonstrating both the project’s methodological validity and reinforcing our theories. Two registers were made regarding battlefields ¬- one historical and another archaeological. The purpose of this was to catalogue all possible existing sites in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula from Roman times through to the Spanish Civil War, which will hopefully serve as a point of reference for future researchers. Through this book, people will be able to understand the great potential of Spanish battlefields and their heritage. Furthermore, Spain could be regarded as a very important country regarding battlefield archaeology. Spanish Description: Los yacimientos olvidados: registro y musealización de campos de batalla es un trabajo que recoge todos los aspectos referentes a la arqueología de campos de batalla, con el objetivo de ser una obra de referencia en esta área de estudio. En ella se ha llevado a cabo un estudio historiográfico pormenorizado de esta rama de la arqueología, remontándose hasta los orígenes de la misma, permitiendo comprender su evolución hasta nuestros días. Se han planteado dos propuestas metodológicas, arqueológica y museográfica, para el tratamiento de esta tipología de yacimiento. Para comprobar la viabilidad de ambas metodologías se realizó una aplicación teórica en dos casos de estudio de distinta época, lo que nos permitió ver su validez y reforzar nuestras teorías. Para esta obra elaboramos dos registros de campos de batalla, uno de tipo histórico y otro de tipo arqueológico, con el objetivo de catalogar todos los posibles yacimientos existentes en interior peninsular desde la época romana hasta la Guerra Civil, sirviendo así de punto de partida para futuros investigadores. A través de este libro se puede comprobar el gran potencial que posee España en campos de batalla y que podría situarse entre los países más destacados.

Read more less

Organic light-emitting diode(OLED) technology has achieved significant penetration in the commercial market for small, low-voltage and inexpensive displays. Present and future novel technologies based on OLEDs involve rigid and flexible flat panel displays, solid-state lighting, and lasers. Display applications may range from hand-held devices to large flat panel screens that can be rolled up or hung flat on a wall or a ceiling.Organic Electroluminescence gives an overview of the on-going research in the field of organic light-emitting materials and devices, covering the principles of electroluminescence in organic thin films, as well as recent trends, current applications, and future potential uses. The book begins by giving a background of organic electroluminescence in terms of history and basic principles. It offers details on the mechanism(s) of electroluminescence in thin organic films. It presentsin-depth discussions of the parameters that control the external electroluminescence quantum efficiency including the photoluminescence quantum yield, the light-output coupling factor, carrier/charge injection and transport, and electron and hole recombination processes in organic semiconductors. The authors address the design and the characterization of amorphous charge transport materials with high glass transition temperatures, light-emitting small molecules and conjugated polymers. The book covers state-of-the-art concepts and technologies such as fluorescent and phosphorescent OLEDs, various approaches for patterning organics, and active matrix organic emissive displays including their back panel thin film transistors and pixel electronics. It concludes by summarizing future directions for OLEDs in organic light-emitting displays, large area distributed solid state light sources, and lasers using organic thin films, nanostructures, and photonic crystals. Organic Electroluminescence is an excellent resource and reference for stu

Read more less

“A fitting biography of one of the most brilliant, acerbic, and under-appreciated astrophysicists of the twentieth century. John Johnson has delved deeply into a rich and eventful life, and produced a rollicking account of how Fritz Zwicky split his time between picking fights with his colleagues and discovering amazing things about our universe.”—Sean Carroll, author of The Big PictureFritz Zwicky was one of the most inventive and iconoclastic scientists of his time. He predicted the existence of neutron stars, and his research pointed the way toward the discovery of pulsars and black holes. He was the first to conceive of the existence of dark matter, the first to make a detailed catalog of thousands of galaxies, and the first to correctly suggest that cosmic rays originate from supernovas.Not content to confine his discoveries to the heavens, Zwicky contributed to the United States war against Japan with inventions in jet propulsion that enabled aircraft to launch from carriers in the Pacific. After the war, he was the first Western scientist to interview Wernher von Braun, the Nazi engineer who developed the V-2 rocket. Later he became an outspoken advocate for space exploration, but also tangled with almost every leading scientist of the time, from Edwin Hubble and Richard Feynman to J. Robert Oppenheimer and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.In Zwicky, John Johnson, Jr., brings this tempestuous maverick to life. Zwicky not only made groundbreaking contributions to science and engineering; he rose to fame as one of the most imaginative science popularizers of his day. Yet he became a pariah in the scientific community, denouncing his enemies, real and imagined, as “spherical bastards” and “horses’ asses.” Largely forgotten today, Zwicky deserves rediscovery for introducing some of the most destructive forces in the universe, and as a reminder that genius obeys no rules and has no friends.

Read more less

In this impressive work, Norman Miller tackles a central - perhaps the central - puzzle in international finance: why it is that changes in exchange rates do not equalize returns across borders. In this comprehensive treatment, Miller surveys and synthesizes the recent empirical literature to develop a new interpretation of exchange rate behavior, incorporating a central role for the carry trade. All serious researchers in the field need to read this important book.'- Menzie Chinn, University of Wisconsin, US'This excellent book develops carefully all of the research on uncovered interest parity, the puzzles that arise from its poor empirical performance, and other puzzling features of exchange rate behaviour of the last 30-40 years. It also develops several fresh ideas on how to model exchange rates with a simple intertemporal model, which I find very appealing. The book will appeal to academics and graduate students working in international macroeconomics and finance, market participants, policy makers and their staff.'- Lucio Sarno, City University LondonThe Uncovered Interest Parity (UIP) puzzle has remained a moot point since it first circulated economic discourse in 1984. Despite a number of attempts at a solution, the UIP puzzle and other anomalies in exchange rate economics continue to perplex economic thought in international finance. This fundamental book fills gaps in the scholarly literature, suggesting new explanations for the many exchange rate anomalies.Exchange Rate Economics amalgamates key discourse, generating synthesis models that appear consistent with the UIP puzzle and related anomalies, uniquely bringing them together in one place. A thorough, current review of the literature is presented to provide an extensive analysis of exchange rate aberrations, which contributes numerous new explanations for these puzzling facts. Norman C. Miller probes into the perplexities of international finance and offers an alternative approach toward the UIP puzzle, invigorating and guiding future research.This timely book will be a useful tool for undergraduate and postgraduate students looking to acquire state of the art knowledge into exchange rate economics and international finance. Scholars and practitioners with an interest in the UIP puzzle and similar anomalies will find this book thought provoking and informative for further inquiry.Content: 1. Major Puzzles and Anomalies 2. Attempts to Solve Major Puzzles 3. The Intertemporal Approach to UIP 4. Key Features of the Synthesis Models 5. Synthesis Model I 6. Synthesis Model II 7. More Puzzles and Solutions 8. A UIP Framework with Regressive Expectations 9. Summary and Future Work Index

Read more less

One sunny August afternoon, the residents of Cedar Close throw their annual summer barbecue. Children play in the cherry-tree lined street, tables are laden with food, and the wine is flowing. For Laurie Mills, it's her first time meeting the neighbours. And it's the first time she discovers her husband Robert is having an affair.Cedar Close has always been a nice place to live - a quiet suburban street where everyone looks out for one another and bad things don't happen.Until late one evening, when Robert Mills is found dead in his bedroom.Downstairs, in their beautiful kitchen, his wife Laurie sits alone in the dark with her head in her hands.She can't remember the last few hours, but she knows she didn't kill Robert.The trouble is, no-one believes her...An utterly gripping page-turner about the dark secrets that lie behind closed doors. Perfect for fans of JP Delaney's The Girl Before and Gone Girl, The Couple on Cedar Close will keep you reading late into the night.Read what everyone is saying about The Couple on Cedar Close:'A.......maz........ing, what a fantastic book, loved every word on every page, a great psychological thriller that held my interest throughout and I didn't want it to end...I could carry on raving about this book but just read it for yourself, I can definitely recommend, you will not be disappointed.' NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars'Gripping, page turner, disturbing, just a few words I would use to describe this fantastic read! I loved this book, it reminded me of The Girl on the Train and quickly became one of my new favorites!' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars'Ten stars for being able to keep me up until 4 a.m. I just HAD to finish this book! I cannot begin to describe how riveting this novel was. Great writing, characterizations, plot, timing, suspense--it has it all. Trust me, you will NOT be able to put it down until you finish reading it. So many mediocre thrillers out there that this one hit me like a ton of bricks. Absolutely SUPERB!' NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars'What an explosive read...this is a loop the loop rollercoaster of a ride, you better strap in and get ready, your head will be spinning trying to keep up with all the twists, betrayals, friendships, heartache, loss... this book has it all, puts a whole new meaning on the term psychological thriller!!!' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

Read more less

George Bird Grinnell, the son of a New York merchant, saw a different future for a nation in the thrall of the Industrial Age. With railroads scarring virgin lands and the formerly vast buffalo herds decimated, the country faced a crossroads: Could it pursue Manifest Destiny without destroying its natural bounty and beauty? The alarm that Grinnell sounded would spark America’s conservation movement. Yet today his name has been forgotten—an omission that John Taliaferro’s commanding biography now sets right with historical care and narrative flair. Grinnell was born in Brooklyn in 1849 and grew up on the estate of ornithologist John James Audubon. Upon graduation from Yale, he dug for dinosaurs on the Great Plains with eminent paleontologist Othniel C. Marsh—an expedition that fanned his romantic notion of wilderness and taught him a graphic lesson in evolution and extinction. Soon he joined George A. Custer in the Black Hills, helped to map Yellowstone, and scaled the peaks and glaciers that, through his labors, would become Glacier National Park. Along the way, he became one of America’s most respected ethnologists; seasons spent among the Plains Indians produced numerous articles and books, including his tour de force, The Cheyenne Indians: Their History and Ways of Life. More than a chronicler of natural history and indigenous culture, Grinnell became their tenacious advocate. He turned the sportsmen’s journal Forest and Stream into a bully pulpit for wildlife protection, forest reserves, and national parks. In 1886, his distress over the loss of bird species prompted him to found the first Audubon Society. Next, he and Theodore Roosevelt founded the Boone and Crockett Club to promote “fair chase” of big game. His influence among the rich and the patrician provided leverage for the first federal legislation to protect migratory birds—a precedent that ultimately paved the way for the Endangered Species Act. And in an era when too many white Americans regarded Native Americans as backwards, Grinnell’s cries for reform carried from the reservation, through the halls of Congress, all the way to the White House. Drawing on forty thousand pages of Grinnell’s correspondence and dozens of his diaries, Taliaferro reveals a man whose deeds and high-mindedness earned him a lustrous peerage, from presidents to chiefs, Audubon to Aldo Leopold, John Muir to Gifford Pinchot, Edward S. Curtis to Edward H. Harriman. Throughout his long life, Grinnell was bound by family and sustained by intimate friendships, toggling between the East and the West. As Taliaferro’s enthralling portrait demonstrates, it was this tension that wound Grinnell’s nearly inexhaustible spring and honed his vision—a vision that still guides the imperiled future of our national treasures.

Read more less

THE ICONIC CLASSIC, WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZEONE OF THE BBC '100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD''A lush celebration of all that it means to be a black female. I love that The Color Purple doesn't try to soften its blows but is also courageous enough to hold on to a wonderfully affirming faith in possibility, in forgiveness and kindness and hope' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie'The Color Purple is my go-to comfort novel. Every single time I read this book, I walk away as a slightly better person than I was when I picked it up' Tayari Jones'I think that The Color Purple was the first book that made me think that I could try to be a writer - or that made me aware that a young black woman from the South could write about the South' Jesmyn Ward 'I got the book and read it, in one day, when it came out. And then I went back, the next day, and bought every copy they had' Oprah Winfrey A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance and silence through a series of letters spanning twenty years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown.Abused repeatedly by the man she calls 'father', Celie has two children taken away from her and is trapped into an ugly marriage. But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic-maker - a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. And gradually Celie discovers the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves.Beloved by generations of readers, The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery. Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker's epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey towards redemption and love.'One of the most haunting books you could ever wish to read. It is stunning - moving, exciting and wonderful' Lenny Henry'The Color Purple needs no category other than the fact that it is superb' Rita Mae Brown'The great irony about The Color Purple is that it transcends colour. One of the greatest books of all time' Benjamin Zephaniah 'A unique blend of serenity and immediacy that makes your senses ache' Helen Dunmore'A genuinely mind-expanding book' Patrick Ness'Indelibly affecting... Alice Walker is a lavishly gifted writer' New York Times'One of the great books of our time' Essence Magazine'A work to stand beside literature of any time and place' San Francisco Chronicle

Read more less

Over the last two decades one of the great global emerging technological trends has been the shift from chemistry to biology in agriculture. Bitterly contested and enduringly controversial, the shift to biotechnology has nevertheless led to greater sustainability and promises even greater gains in years to come. This Handbook is an invaluable compendium of detailed case study and insight.'- Mark Lynas, Cornell University, US'This important volume analyses the current state of crop biotechnology development and regulation. It establishes a firm basis for understanding the current level of deployment of crops modified by biotechnology and also the uneven and often unscientific bases that have been used to judge their merits for particular regions. This book is an indispensable reference for anyone concerned with the development of this vital area of agriculture.'- Peter H. Raven, Missouri Botanical Garden, US'With interest in biotechnology surging, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about the potential that advancements in modern agriculture have to offer, how they've already changed agriculture around the world and what s coming down the pipeline. Agriculture is about economics, the environment and feeding the world; so too, at the heart of it, is biotechnology, as this book so clearly demonstrates. The authors have years of experience with biotechnology and their expertise shines through on each page.'- Lorne Hepworth, CropLife CanadaThis book is a compendium of knowledge, experience and insight on agriculture, biotechnology and development. Beginning with an account of GM crop adoptions and attitudes towards them, the book assesses numerous crucial processes, concluding with detailed insights into GM products. Drawing on expert perspectives of leading authors from 57 different institutions in 16 countries, it provides a unique, global overview of agbiotech following 20 years of adoption. Many consider GM crops the most rapid agricultural innovation adopted in the history of agriculture. This book provides insights as to why the adoption has occurred globally at such a rapid rate.This is a rich and varied collection of research, which will appeal to scholars, academics and practitioners worldwide. An invaluable resource, this book will be a first point of reference to anyone with an interest in agbiotech and studies into agriculture, biotechnology and development.Contributors: A.A. Adenle, P. Aerni, C. Alexander, J.M. Alston, V. Beckmann, J. Bognar, C.G. Borroto, D. Brewin, G. Brookes, J. Carpenter, Y. Carrière, D. Castle, M. Chen, P. Conceição, B. Dayananda, M. Demont, K. Dillen, D. Eaton, E. Einsiedel, J. Falck-Zepeda, J. Fernandez-Cornejo, G.B. Frisvold, C.V. Gonslaves, D. Gonsalves, M. Gouse, G. Graff, R. Gray, A. Gupta, W.O. Hennessey, J.E. Hobbs, W.E. Huffman, L. A. Jackson, C. Juma, N. Kalaitzandonakes, S. Kaplan, V.J. Karplus, W.A. Kerr, G.G. Khachatourians, E.M. Kikulwe, E. Kim, D.E. Kolady, S.P. Kowalski, J. Kruse, L. Levidow, S. Levine, K. Ludlow, X. Ma, A. Magnier, S. Malla, I. Matuschke, J.J. McCluskey, A. McHughen, J. Medlock, D. Miller, L. Nagarajan, A. Naseem, C. Oguamanam, M. Ouattarra, M. Owen, R. Paarlberg, P. W. B. Phillips, M. Qaim, T. Raney, J.M. Reeves, S.D. Rhodes, S.M.H. Rizvi, C.D. Ryan, D. Schimmelpfennig, G.J. Scoles, G. Skogstad, S. J. Smyth, C. Soregaroli, D.J. Spielman, A.J. Stein, J. Thomson, J. Vitale, G. Vognan, G. Waterfield, S. Wechsler, J. Wesseler, A. Williams, W.W. Wilson, L.L. Wolfenbarger, G. Ye, J. Yorobe Jr, D.Z. Zeng, D. Zilberman

Read more less

'An indispensable account' – Sunday Times 'Moving and devastating' – The Literary Review 'An intimate, highly sensory self-portrait' – Sunday Telegraph (Five Stars) FIRST MEMOIR ABOUT CHINA'A ‘RE-EDUCATION’ CAMPS BY A UYGHUR WOMAN Since 2017, one million Uyghurs have been seized by the Chinese authorities and sent to ‘re-education’ camps, in what the US Government and human rights groups describe as a genocide. Few have made it out to the West. One is Gulbahar Haitiwaji. For three years, she endured hundreds of hours of interrogations, freezing cold, forced sterilisation, and a programme of de-personalisation meant to destroy her free will and her memories. This intimate account reveals the long-suppressed truth about China’s gulag. It tells the story of a woman confronted by an all-powerful state bent on crushing her spirit – and her battle for freedom and dignity. Extract ‘In the camps, the ‘re-education’ process applies the same remorseless method to destroying all its victims. It starts out by stripping you of your individuality. It takes away your name, your clothes, your hair. There is nothing now to distinguish you from anyone else. 'Then the process takes over your body by subjecting it to a hellish routine: being forced to repeatedly recite the glories of the Communist Party for eleven hours a day in a windowless classroom. Falter, and you are punished. So you keep on saying the same things over and over again until you can’t feel, can’t think anymore. You lose all sense of time. First the hours, then the days.’ - Gulbahar Haitiwaji Reviews 'Gulbahar's memoir is an indispensable account, which makes vivid the stench of fearful sweat in the cells, the newly built prison's permanent reek of white pain. It closely corresponds with other witness statements, giving every indication of being very reliable. Most impressive is her psychological honesty.' – John Phipps, Sunday Times 'Huge efforts have been made to obfuscate the realities of life in the camps (even speaking openly in Xinjiang about them can lead to incarceration). Although their existence has been well documented abroad and grudgingly admitted by the Chinese state, relatively few first-hand accounts of what actually goes on inside them have emerged. One is Gulbahar Haitiwaji's moving and devastating How I Survived a Chinese 'Re-education' Camp.' – Roderic Wye, Literary Review 'There follows an intimate, highly sensory self-portrait, created with the help of Rozenn Morgat (a journalist with Le Figaro), of an educated woman passing through a system that appears at turns cruel, paranoid, capricious and devastatingly effective. It begins with the confiscation of Haitiwaji's passport and a police interrogation during which she is shown a photograph of her daughter attending a Uyghur demonstration in Paris. One of the interrogators starts bawling at her - "Your daughter's a terrorist!" and before long Haitiwaji is plunged into a bewildering world of shackles, bunks and beaten-earth floors; grey gruel and stale bread served up by deaf-mute cooks selected for their silence; the sounds and smells of the communal toilet-bucket; and the buzz of security camera motors as they scan the cell.' ***** – Christopher Harding, Sunday Telegraph Translated from the French book Rescapée du goulag chinois (Équateurs), How I Survived a Chinese Reeducation Camp is a riveting insight into an authoritarian world. A true story, it reads like a 21st Century version of George Orwell's 1984 set in modern China. Extract In the camp, I wasn’t Gulbahar, but Number 9. I was forbidden from speaking Uighur, or from praying. There was something extra about the taste of the vile slop that filled our bowls. Were they drugging our meals to make us lose our memories? Physically and mentally, I became a ghost. My weight plummeted. The blinding light worsened my vision, and beneath my eyes, heavy rings made two pockets of shadow. My heart beat so weakly that I could no longer feel it when I pressed my palm to my chest. Whenever I was deemed to have broken the rules, I was slapped or, on one occasion, shackled to a bed for a fortnight. I underwent hundreds of hours of nightmarish interrogations, until chaos gradually took over my soul. Every week, women were taken away and we never saw them again. At night, we’d wake to terrifying screams, as if someone was being tortured upstairs. We listened in silence, absolutely still, to howls that pierced the night. They were the cries of women going mad, begging guards not to hurt them any more. Death lurked in every corner. When the footfalls of guards woke us in the night, I thought our time had come to be executed. When a hand viciously pushed hair-clippers across my skull, I shut my eyes, thinking I was being readied for the scaffold, the electric chair, or drowning. For two years, my husband, Kerim, and two daughters, Gulhumar and Gulnigar, had no idea where I was. They imagined the worst. They believed me dead. I was born into a Uighur family that had lived in Xinjiang for generations. This jewel, more than six times the size of the UK, is at the far western end of China. Its riches include gold, diamonds, natural gas, uranium, and – above all – oil. Since being annexed by the China, we Uighurs have been the stone in the Beijing regime’s shoe. Xinjiang is far too rich a strategic corridor for it to lose and President Xi Jinping wants it cleansed of separatist populations. In short, China wants a Xinjiang without Uighurs. Buy the book to carry on reading

Read more less

Of all the great kingdoms that flourished in Africa, the Kongo is one of the most famous. It remains an important historical and cultural reference for Africans and their diaspora. The KongoKing inter-university project (2012-2016), funded by the European Research Council, aimed, through an interdisciplinary approach, to understand the origin of the kingdom and to shed light on the phenomena of political centralization, economic integration and linguistic evolution that took place there. This book presents in detail the results of archaeological research carried out by the KongoKing project in the former northern provinces of the Kongo Kingdom, currently located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. | De tous les grands royaumes qui fleurirent en Afrique, le royaume Kongo est l’un des plus célèbres. Il reste une référence historique et culturelle importante pour les Africains et leur diaspora. Entraînés très tôt dans le commerce de traite, les esclaves originaires de la région font que du Brésil à New York, en passant par les Caraïbes, la culture Kongo a laissé de nombreuses traces. Le projet interuniversitaire KongoKing (2012-2016), financé par le Conseil Européen de la Recherche a été coordonné par Koen Bostoen, tandis que Bernard Clist et Pierre de Maret en ont dirigé le volet archéologique. Ce projet visait par une approche interdisciplinaire à comprendre l’origine du royaume et à éclairer les phénomènes de la centralisation politique, d’intégration économique et d’évolution linguistique qui s’y sont déroulés . Cet ouvrage présente de façon détaillée les résultats des recherches archéologiques menées par le projet KongoKing dans les anciennes provinces septentrionales du royaume Kongo, situées actuellement en République Démocratique du Congo. Dans une première partie on présente le contexte général, l’évolution du milieu, l’histoire du groupe linguistique kikongo et ce que l'on sait des périodes qui précèdent le royaume, ainsi que des informations récoltées dans diverses sources historiques sur ces provinces. Les prospections et fouilles des différents sites étudiés sont ensuite présentées. Puis vient le bilan des recherches archéologiques avec une synthèse des datations, une esquisse de la séquence chrono-culturelle de la poterie kongo et les études systématiques des différents types de vestiges récoltés. Pour conclure, on présente la synthèse de l'ensemble de ces découvertes et la façon dont celles-ci viennent compléter les données issues des autres disciplines pour éclairer d'un jour nouveau l'histoire du royaume Kongo.

Read more less

Wild animals survive in a variety of complex environments; they are exposed to predictable and unpredictable changes in their particular environment on a daily or seasonal basis. However, we live in a time when almost all natural environments are undergoing relatively rapid change, and many of these changes, such as the pollution of air and water, removal of natural food sources, environment fragmentation, and climate change, are the result of human activity. Animal Physiology: an environmental perspective shows how an understanding of the physiology of animals in their natural habitats helps us to understand not only how and why animals evolved the way they did, but how we can act to protect at least some of them from the extreme effects of the changes affecting their environments. Part One sets the foundation for the topics covered in the remainder of the book by introducing a range of fundamental processes that are essential to life. It considers the diversity of habitats on Earth in which animals live, and examines animal groups and their evolutionary relationships. It then explores the different feeding strategies used by animals to obtain the energy they require to carry out all the essential functions of life, and how animals convert the chemical energy in food molecules into the energy they need to power all body functions. Finally, it explores the general properties of animal cells, and how animals maintain a suitable internal environment in which their cells are protected from external influences. We then examine those fundamental principles governing the main exchanges between the cells within animals, and between an animal and its environment. Parts two to four of the book explore how different organ systems - respiratory and circulatory systems, excretory organs and endocrine systems - enable animals to interact with their environment, and how environmental temperature profoundly affects the physiology of animals. Part five considers how the sensory and nervous systems provide animals with information on their internal as well as their external environment, and how they, together with the endocrine system, are involved in the control and co-ordination of muscles, reproduction, salt and water balance, and the cardio-respiratory systems. Digital formats and resources Animal Physiology: an environmental perspective is supported by online resources and is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats. The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with functionality tools, navigation features and links that offer extra learning support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks The book's online resources include: For students: - Original articles: a list of original articles consulted during the writing of each chapter so that you can explore the original research for yourself. - Additional case studies and experimental approach panels to augment those in the printed book. - Answers to numerical questions: full solutions to numerical questions so that you can verify your working. For registered adopters of the text: - Digital image library: Includes electronic files in JPG format of every illustration, photo, graph and table from the text

Read more less

'A gripping story of the unravelling of a mother's secrets as her daughter searches for answers to a decades-old mystery of a local girl's disappearance. Evocative, suspenseful and beautifully written. I couldn't put it down.' Adrienne Chinn 'I was hooked from the very first page. The emotional layers of this beautifully written book are woven together seamlessly. Absolutely superb!' Clare Marchant 'An absolutely fascinating tale of a fractured family, and the hurts and secrets that they carry. McCarron's observations and characterizations are sublime.' Jenni Keer A gripping and emotional story of family and the secrets we keep from the ones we love. For fans of Kristin Hannah and Delia Owens. When you're lost sometimes the only way to look forward is to look back... Three women. Two generations apart. One secret they share. Maine, 1997. As the people of Fort Meadow Beach celebrate the Fourth of July, four-year-old Daisy Wright disappears and is never seen again. Maine, Present Day. Fired from her job and heart-broken, Peyton Winchester moves back home for the summer. Bored and aimless, she finds a renewed sense of purpose when an ad for a journalism course reminds her of a path not taken. Returning to life in her hometown brings back all kinds of memories – including Daisy's vanishing when she was a young girl herself. As Peyton begins her search for the truth, new discoveries begin to intertwine Daisy's past and her present with irreversible consequences. Readers love The Shimmer on the Water: 'Magic... I felt like gnawing on my arm to get to the end! And what an ending it was. Loved it... Arresting book. Marina McCarron's writing has me absolutely hooked!' Goodreads 5* Review 'Wow what a fantastic read... A great story which will keep you gripped from the beginning. I really loved it and highly recommend this book.' NetGalley 5* Review 'Mesmerizing... Tons of family drama, and the disappearance of a little girl. Highly recommend!' Tara Leigh Books, 5* Review 'Riveting... A young girl who vanished, but it was also about a family with so many secrets... Captured my attention and reeled me in until the end... Amazing... Took me down a path with twist, turns, and unbelievable things happening.' NetGalley 5* Review 'An incredible, dual timeline family saga. It kept me gripped the whole time... Eualla's story really pulled at my heart... I thoroughly enjoyed this book.' @thesapphiccelticbookworm, 5* Review 'Absolutely loved this book... A great read with strong characters and a fabulous story.' NetGalley 5* Review 'Intriguing... Great characters... Brilliantly interwoven. Highly recommended.' NetGalley 5* Review 'Loved it and will strongly recommend!' Goodreads 5* Review

Read more less

Named a Gift Book for the Discerning New Yorker by The New York Times In a metropolis like New York, homelessness can blend into the urban landscape. For editor Susan Greenfield, however, New York is the place where a community of resilient, remarkable individuals are yearning for a voice. Sacred Shelter follows the lives of thirteen formerly homeless people, all of whom have graduated from the life skills empowerment program, an interfaith life skills program for homeless and formerly homeless individuals in New York. Through frank, honest interviews, these individuals share traumas from their youth, their experience with homelessness, and the healing they have discovered through community and faith. Edna Humphrey talks about losing her grandparents, father, and sister to illness, accident, and abuse. Lisa Sperber discusses her bipolar disorder and her whiteness. Dennis Barton speaks about his unconventional path to becoming a first-generation college student and his journey to reconnect with his family. The memoirists share stories about youth, family, jobs, and love. They describe their experiences with racism, mental illness, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Each of the thirteen storytellers honestly expresses his or her brokenheartedness and how finding community and faith gave them hope to carry on. Interspersed among these life stories are reflections from program directors, clerics, mentors, and volunteers who have worked with and in the life skills empowerment program. In his reflection, George Horton shares his deep gratitude for and solidarity with the 500-plus individuals he has come to know since he co-founded the program in 1989. While religion can be divisive, Horton firmly believes that all faiths urge us to “welcome the stranger” and, as Pope Francis asks, “accompany” them through the struggles of life. Through solidarity and suffering, many formerly homeless individuals have found renewed faith in God and community. Beyond trauma and strife, Dorothy Day’s suggestion that “All is grace” is personified in these thirteen stories. Jeremy Kalmanofsky, rabbi at Ansche Chesed Synagogue, says the program points toward a social fabric of encounter and recognition between strangers, who overcome vast differences to face one another, which in Hebrew is called Panim el Panim. While Sacred Shelter does not tackle the socioeconomic conditions and inequities that cause homelessness, it provides a voice for a demographic group that continues to suffer from systemic injustice and marginalization. In powerful, narrative form, it expresses the resilience of individuals who have experienced homelessness and the hope and community they have found. By listening to their stories, we are urged to confront our own woundedness and uncover our desire for human connection, a sacred shelter on the other side of suffering.

Read more less

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Becoming by Michelle Obama. Winner of the Grammy's Best Spoken Word Album 2020An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States'A genuine page-turner, full of intimacies and reflections' Evening Standard'A polished pearl of a memoir' New York Times'A rich, entertaining and candid memoir. And overall Obama's a fun person to sit alongside as she tells you the story of her life . . . it is as beautifully written as any piece of fiction' iIn a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America - the first African-American to serve in that role - she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations - and whose story inspires us to do the same.'Offers new insights into her upbringing on the south side of Chicago and the highs and lows of life with Barack Obama. . . a refreshing level of honesty about what politics really did to her. I have read Barack Obama's two books so far, and this is like inserting a missing piece of reality into the narrative of his dizzying journey' Guardian'I found myself lifting my jaw from my chest at the end of every other chapter . . . this was not the Obama I thought I knew. She was more' Independent'An inspirational memoir that also rings true' Daily Telegraph 'It seems a wonderful privilege to have the former First Lady speaking her own words straight into your ear, and her own reading gives the anecdotes extra meaning and emotion.' Daily MailMICHELLE OBAMA'S NEXT BOOK, THE LIGHT WE CARRY, IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW

Read more less

Lean Logic is David Fleming’s masterpiece, the product of more than thirty years’ work and a testament to the creative brilliance of one of Britain’s most important intellectuals. A dictionary unlike any other, it leads readers through Fleming’s stimulating exploration of fields as diverse as culture, history, science, art, logic, ethics, myth, economics, and anthropology, being made up of four hundred and four engaging essay-entries covering topics such as Boredom, Community, Debt, Growth, Harmless Lunatics, Land, Lean Thinking, Nanotechnology, Play, Religion, Spirit, Trust, and Utopia. The threads running through every entry are Fleming’s deft and original analysis of how our present market-based economy is destroying the very foundations—ecological, economic, and cultural— on which it depends, and his core focus: a compelling, grounded vision for a cohesive society that might weather the consequences. A society that provides a satisfying, culturally-rich context for lives well lived, in an economy not reliant on the impossible promise of eternal economic growth. A society worth living in. Worth fighting for. Worth contributing to. The beauty of the dictionary format is that it allows Fleming to draw connections without detracting from his in-depth exploration of each topic. Each entry carries intriguing links to other entries, inviting the enchanted reader to break free of the imposed order of a conventional book, starting where she will and following the links in the order of her choosing. In combination with Fleming’s refreshing writing style and good-natured humor, it also creates a book perfectly suited to dipping in and out. The decades Fleming spent honing his life's work are evident in the lightness and mastery with which Lean Logic draws on an incredible wealth of cultural and historical learning—from Whitman to Whitefield, Dickens to Daly, Kropotkin to Kafka, Keats to Kuhn, Oakeshott to Ostrom, Jung to Jensen, Machiavelli to Mumford, Mauss to Mandelbrot, Leopold to Lakatos, Polanyi to Putnam, Nietzsche to Næss, Keynes to Kumar, Scruton to Shiva, Thoreau to Toynbee, Rabelais to Rogers, Shakespeare to Schumacher, Locke to Lovelock, Homer to Homer-Dixon—in demonstrating that many of the principles it commends have a track-record of success long pre-dating our current society. Fleming acknowledges, with honesty, the challenges ahead, but rather than inducing despair, Lean Logic is rare in its ability to inspire optimism in the creativity and intelligence of humans to nurse our ecology back to health; to rediscover the importance of place and play, of reciprocity and resilience, and of community and culture. ------ Recognizing that Lean Logic’s sheer size and unusual structure could be daunting, Fleming’s long-time collaborator Shaun Chamberlin has also selected and edited one of the potential pathways through the dictionary to create a second, stand-alone volume, Surviving the Future: Culture, Carnival and Capital in the Aftermath of the Market Economy. The content, rare insights, and uniquely enjoyable writing style remain Fleming’s, but presented at a more accessible paperback-length and in conventional read-it-front-to-back format.

Read more less

Jenny is brand new to the universe. Born a soldier, made for war, she has a Time Lord’s heritage. Luckily, that Time Lord is the Doctor. She’s ready to save planets, fight monsters, and save the day, using nothing but her bravery, wit and instinct – and an awful lot of running. 1.1 Stolen Goods by Matt Fitton. Jenny is new to the universe and keen to explore – but in unfamiliar spaceships, accidents happen. She’s lucky to have someone on-hand to help. A slippery, fast-talking someone, called Garundel. Soon, Jenny is mixed up in cons and explosions. But she also finds something strange, inexplicable, and as new to universe as she is. She’ll call him Noah. 1.2 Prisoner of the Ood by John Dorney. Moving into Leafield Crescent, Angie Glazebrook is surprised by an unexpected caller. But not half as surprised as Jenny, suddenly transported to a suburban close on twenty-first century Earth. And that’s nothing to the surprise of the neighbours when alien visitors start appearing. Visitors with tentacled mouths, carrying death-dealing orbs. The Ood have come for their prisoner...1.3 Neon Reign by Christian Brassington. The Dragon Lord rules Kamshassa with fear. Half the oppressed population live in an addicted stupor, while the other half are forced into service. Factories belch poisonous smoke, and Dragon Guards patrol the streets, condemning dissenters to the Eternal Fire. When Jenny and Noah arrive, it’s only a matter of time before they start a revolution. 1.4 Zero Space by Adrian Poynton. Out in deep space, in the middle of –quite literally –nowhere, Jenny and Noah believe they’ve found a safe haven. And, very possibly, some answers. But the space station holds many secrets, and it won’t be long before Jenny’s past catches her up.Bounty hunter COLT-5000 is on her trail and will stop at nothing to hunt down its quarry... even in Zero Space!Jenny was introduced in 2008's TV Doctor Who story The Doctor's Daughter, with the character revealed at the end to have survived her death and was now off travelling the universe. Fans have wanted to know what happened next ever since. Georgia Tennant is the daughter of Peter Davison - the actor who played the Fifth Doctor on TV and for Big Finish on audio, so she's literally played the role her whole life! Co-star Sean Biggerstaff is best known for his appearances as Oliver Wood in the Harry Potter. CAST: Georgia Tennant (Jenny), Sean Biggerstaff (Noah),Siân Phillips (COLT-5000), Stuart Milligan (Garundel), Sarah Woodward (Vesh Taralesh),Clare Corbett (Lukaku), Arabella Weir (Angie Glazebrook),Silas Carson (Ood Leader), Rosalyn Landor (Vanessa Elledge), Olivia Darnley (Emily Cole), John Dorney (John Macguire), Pik-Sen Lim (Old Woman), Arina II (Shoon-Wei), Sara Houghton (Alitta), Paul Courtenay Hyu (Po), Adèle Anderson (Dreyda), Anthony Calf (Cal).

Read more less

‘Most books on persuasion teach the few how to sway the many. With wit and vim, Guy has given us something else: an X-ray into the tactics of those trying to change our minds and behaviour.’ - Stephen Krupin, former speechwriter for Barack Obama When Winston Churchill spoke in Parliament, he convinced an empire to go to war. When Martin Luther King spoke in Washington, he convinced millions to open their hearts to change. When Oprah Winfrey said: ‘Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do,’ she also used rhetoric. As we have here, by deploying the rule of three to stress a point. Rhetoric - the art of persuasive speaking and writing – often gets a bad rap. In this dazzling, fast-paced guide, speechwriter Guy Doza rescues rhetoric from the shadows and showcases its immense power to change lives, for good and bad. Highlighting punchy sayings from Ancient Rome to modern marketing, he shows how leaders, businesses and even our own friends use rhetorical techniques every day to make convincing arguments. What’s more, this guide to rhetoric will show you how to learn to use this persuasive language in your own life: How to convince an investor to back your venture What to say to a potential lover in a bar And, the six rules of apology you should use if you ever accidentally run over the next-door neighbour’s cat... How to Apologise for Killing a Cat is a quick read, humorous and highly practicable. It decodes the tricks and techniques of rhetoric for everyday readers. It's the only book you need to make a convincing marketing pitch. It's the only book you need to give a rousing speech. It's the only book you need to write persuasively. It's the best book to explain the technique we've just used here. After reading this book, you will start to see the trick of rhetoric used everywhere. After reading this book, you will never see the world the same way again! About the author Guy Doza is a speechwriter and trainer. He has a Master’s degree in Rhetoric from the University of London and uses rhetoric in the speeches he writes for senior politicians and business leaders. He trains government speechwriters in logic and rhetoric. Introduction Have you ever had that unpleasant anxiety of taking your car to the mechanic and feeling like you’re being swindled? Most of you will probably know exactly what I am talking about. We don’t know how cars work, we don’t know what the parts are called and we don’t know how to fix them ourselves. This lack of knowledge makes us vulnerable and susceptible to exploitation, and we know it. So does the mechanic. Now, most mechanics are honest individuals, not rogues, but can we say the same of people who run countries and big companies? When it comes to ordinary life away from the car engine or central heating boiler, most of us don’t even realise just how vulnerable we are. People can use persuasive language to swindle us, cheat us, and exploit us to the hilt. And the worst part is that we are not even aware that it is happening. Welcome to rhetoric, the art of persuasion. Rhetoric is a superpower. It can alter the way we think, the way we behave and sometimes even the way we live our lives. And its most explosive charge lies in its subtlety. We need to be aware of how such persuasive language is used, not only so that we can be more persuasive ourselves, but defend ourselves against the rhetorical advances of those who would seek to exploit us. A Dark Art? For too long, rhetoric has been a dark and ancient art confined to the secretive circles of politics and academia. This mystery and misunderstanding has often led to the public to consider it to be the tool of crooks, spin doctors and villains. But no more! The time has come to bring rhetoric out of the darkness and show it for what it is: a mighty linguistic tool. Whether it is a conversation between friends in a café, a pathetic attempt to flirt at a bar, or a meaningful conversation with a world renowned philosopher, rhetoric is everywhere. It is how we invoke authenticity, how we convey meaning, and how we convince. So as well as looking at the grand speeches of eloquent orators and established speakers, this book will delve into the street rhetoric that we encounter in our everyday lives. Whether it’s a cheap use of ethos or a dodgy use of occultatio, rhetoric is thriving in our offices, dwelling in our pubs and lurking in our very homes. We are going to look at some of the forms that rhetoric can take as it attempts to twist our thoughts and muddy our reasoning. Sadly, reading this book will not turn you into an eloquent millionaire who is able to close billion dollar business deals, perform Jedi mind tricks, and convince anyone of anything. There are plenty of gimmicky books out there if that is what you are looking for. Rather, this book is designed to help you become more aware of the role that rhetoric plays in the world around us: the good, the bad and the ugly. And, with a certain amount of caution, you will be more prepared to use it yourself while simultaneously being conscious of how it might be used against you, whether for morality, for manipulation, money, or malice. Buy the book and carry on on reading!

Read more less

Named a Gift Book for the Discerning New Yorker by The New York Times In a metropolis like New York, homelessness can blend into the urban landscape. For editor Susan Greenfield, however, New York is the place where a community of resilient, remarkable individuals are yearning for a voice. Sacred Shelter follows the lives of thirteen formerly homeless people, all of whom have graduated from the life skills empowerment program, an interfaith life skills program for homeless and formerly homeless individuals in New York. Through frank, honest interviews, these individuals share traumas from their youth, their experience with homelessness, and the healing they have discovered through community and faith. Edna Humphrey talks about losing her grandparents, father, and sister to illness, accident, and abuse. Lisa Sperber discusses her bipolar disorder and her whiteness. Dennis Barton speaks about his unconventional path to becoming a first-generation college student and his journey to reconnect with his family. The memoirists share stories about youth, family, jobs, and love. They describe their experiences with racism, mental illness, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Each of the thirteen storytellers honestly expresses his or her brokenheartedness and how finding community and faith gave them hope to carry on. Interspersed among these life stories are reflections from program directors, clerics, mentors, and volunteers who have worked with and in the life skills empowerment program. In his reflection, George Horton shares his deep gratitude for and solidarity with the 500-plus individuals he has come to know since he co-founded the program in 1989. While religion can be divisive, Horton firmly believes that all faiths urge us to “welcome the stranger” and, as Pope Francis asks, “accompany” them through the struggles of life. Through solidarity and suffering, many formerly homeless individuals have found renewed faith in God and community. Beyond trauma and strife, Dorothy Day’s suggestion that “All is grace” is personified in these thirteen stories. Jeremy Kalmanofsky, rabbi at Ansche Chesed Synagogue, says the program points toward a social fabric of encounter and recognition between strangers, who overcome vast differences to face one another, which in Hebrew is called Panim el Panim. While Sacred Shelter does not tackle the socioeconomic conditions and inequities that cause homelessness, it provides a voice for a demographic group that continues to suffer from systemic injustice and marginalization. In powerful, narrative form, it expresses the resilience of individuals who have experienced homelessness and the hope and community they have found. By listening to their stories, we are urged to confront our own woundedness and uncover our desire for human connection, a sacred shelter on the other side of suffering.

Read more less

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERImagine if all the worn-out, untrue, painful chapters of our lives started to quiet, and the beautiful, unique pieces of who we are were to rise. Imagine if the stories we tell brought us back to our true selves, back to one another. Imagine if they spoke of how we loved and lost and tried our best. How we saw it all, even the parts that hurt. Joanna Gaines' new book, The Stories We Tell, invites us on an authentic and deeply vulnerable journey into her story—and helps shine a light on the beauty of our own—guiding us to release the weights that hold us back so we may live and share our story in truth. We've all dropped anchor in places that suited us for a time: a city, a perspective, a lie we mistook as truth. This book is an invitation to a kind of life where you know how to hold what you believe—about yourself and the quiet worlds behind the people you pass—with gracious and open hands. To see your story as greater than any past or future thing, but for all the beauty and joy and hope it holds today. It’s an invitation to take stock of the chapters you’ve lived—the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly—glean what’s gold, and carry only that forward. Let it slow your feet and steady your life-in-motion so you can see where you stand today from a new point of view. No longer through weary or uncertain eyes, but a lens brimming with hope. ————— "The only way to break free was to rewrite my story. Because something would happen every time my pen stopped: It was like my soul was coming back to my body. Like the deepest parts of me that got knocked around and drowned out by all the crap I let the world convince me about who I was came back to the surface. And what was left was only what was real and true. I was, finally, standing in the fullness of my story. I felt hopeful. I felt full. Our story may crack us open, but it also pieces us back together. We all have a story to tell. This happens to be mine—every chapter a window into who I am, the journey I’m on, and the season I’m in right now. Because this is my story, maybe you won’t always relate, or maybe it will feel like you’re looking in a mirror. Whatever we have in common and whatever differences lie between us, I only hope my story can help shine a light on the beauty of yours. That my own soul work will stir something of your own. And that by the time you get to the end of my story, you’re also holding the beautiful beginnings of your own. A story only you can tell. And I hope that you will."-Joanna

Read more less

Can she help the village survive the war?April 1941. When Bobby Bancroft arrived in Silverdale to take a job as a reporter on The Tyke magazine, the sleepy Yorkshire Dales village felt like a little pocket of a past long gone.While much of the country was suffering nightly bombing raids as the Blitz raged, life in isolated Silverdale carried on just as it had for a hundred years or more. But as the summer of 1941 approaches, war finally seems to have come to Silverdale. The villagers face new hardships when shortages and rationing begin to bite, young men become scarce as more and more are called up, and Bobby finds herself juggling her job on the magazine with a new role as an ARP warden. Even her surly editor Reg and his wife are doing their bit, taking two young evacuees from London into their home.Meanwhile, Bobby has been growing closer to village vet Charlie, who is preparing to leave Silverdale to begin training with the RAF. The villagers are whispering that wedding bells will soon be chiming, but then Bobby is confronted with an impossible choice. Can she bring herself to give up the job she adores to be with the man she loves?Don't miss this heart-warming, captivating WWII saga series set in the Yorkshire Dales. If you like James Herriot, Gervase Phinn, Pam Howes or Maggie Mason, you'll love this.Praise for Betty Firth's Made in Yorkshire saga series:‘One of the best books I have read in a very, very long time.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review‘A gorgeous setting, appealing characters and brimming with warmth and humour. It’s a long time since a book has so thoroughly captured my heart. Don’t miss it!’ Kate Field‘This was such a good story from start to the end… Thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the village characters were so true to life.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader ReviewWhat a brilliant book…Family saga at its best.’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review‘LOVED IT!!!...My heart ached when reading this… A lovely story, full of heart and home. I didn't want it to end…’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review‘Read in 24 hours! Exceptional!...The storyline was strong and the characters were all likeable and relatable... There were lots of twists and turns that kept me wanting to read more.’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review‘**I absolutely loved this book! **The life and times of a wartime Yorkshire village and its people shine through, authentic, realistic and charming, and Bobby is a highly likeable heroine with ambition and heart.’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review'I am beyond impressed with this book. I hope this truly is the start of a long series’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

Read more less

The nation's air, land, and marine transportation systems are designed for accessibility and efficiency, two characteristics that make them vulnerable to attack. The focus of chapter 1 is how best to implement and finance a system of deterrence, protection, and response that effectively reduces the possibility and consequences of terrorist attacks without unduly interfering with travel, commerce, and civil liberties. Almost every conversation about surface transportation finance begins with a two-part question: What are the "needs" of the national transportation system, and how does the nation pay for them? Chapter 2 is aimed almost entirely at discussing the "how to pay for them" question. On 4 December 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act; P.L. 114-94). As reported in chapter 3, the act authorised spending on federal highway and public transportation programs, surface transportation safety and research activities, and rail programs for five years to 30 September 2020. Despite significant investments in public transportation at the federal, state, and local levels, transit ridership has fallen in many of the top 50 transit markets. If strong gains in the New York area are excluded, ridership nationally declined by 7% over the past decade. Chapter 4 examines the implications for federal transit policy of the current weakness and possible future changes in transit ridership. Congress created the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program to offer long-term, low-cost loans to railroad operators, with particular attention to small freight railroads, to help them finance improvements to infrastructure and investments in equipment. This program is discussed in chapter 5. The Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) carry out different approaches to rail safety oversight. FRA has a more centralised safety oversight program for railroads, while FTA's program for oversight of rail transit safety largely relies on state safety agencies to monitor and enforce rail transit safety, as established in federal statute. Chapter 6 examines (1) key characteristics of FRA's and FTA's rail safety oversight programs and (2) strengths and limitations of FRA's and FTA's rail safety oversight programs. Research sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has identified driver behaviour as the main cause of highway-rail grade crossing crashes and that factors such as train and traffic volume can contribute to the risk of a crash. Chapter 7 examines: (1) the focus of FRA's grade-crossing-safety research, (2) how states select and implement grade-crossing projects and what data are available from FRA to inform their decisions, and (3) the challenges states reported in implementing and assessing projects and the extent to which FHWA assesses the program's effectiveness.

Read more less

The Train to Orvieto, set in Orvieto, Florence, and Milan, Italy, and in the heartland of America, is an intimate story of love, loss, betrayal, and reconciliation that unfolds against an historical background of war and dramatic social change. It is a story enacted by fascinating three-dimensional characters and told by one of them, Fina, a history teacher who warns the reader, "The truth never mattered." It is a story depicting the clash of opposites—the desire for union with another and the need for solitude; loyalty and betrayal; change and tradition; the fatalism of rural Italy and the sense of familial and social duty, as against one's obligations to oneself—and it explores the classic theme of how the consequences of decisions made in youth carry through the remainder of one's life. The Train to Orvieto invites us to consider how much we re able to understand the truths of our own lives and what it costs to accept them.The novel consists of the three parts. The first part concerns Willa, her adventurous mother; the second Losine, Willa's elegant lover; and the third, Fina herself. Together, they compose a cross-cultural family saga of the marriage of Willa, a passionate artist from Ohio, and Gabriel, her possessive husband; and of Fina, a daughter who stands at the center of questions about who we are, what we can know of one another, and whether we can forgive.Part I begins in 1935. Fina's mother, Willa Carver, is determined to leave stifling Erhart, Ohio to become an artist in Italy. Her parents are opposed until her impecunious drawing teacher asks for Willa's hand. Willa is quickly sent to Italy chaperoned by the well-connected Sra. Farnese. The two women meet Gabriele Marcheschi, a soldier from Orvieto, on the train. He eagerly courts Willa and sets their marriage date without asking her. After their wedding, Orvieto's provincial culture presents daunting obstacles to Willa and her artistic ambitions.Part II begins in 1949. Michel Losine is a Milanese jeweler, smuggler, thief, faux archaeologist who specializes in locating people gone missing during WWII. A decade earlier in Germany he evaded capture with help from Fr. Eric, a priest whom he has come to Orvieto to thank for that assistance, albeit belatedly. He encounters Willa by chance. The meeting with Fr. Eric raises questions about faith and truth for Losine, and he also receives an unwelcome warning about Willa.Part III begins in 1968. Fina expects to marry Bruno, Gabriele's assistant, who is widely thought to be a "catch." When she is accepted to university in Milan, both Gabriele and Bruno try to prevent her from going. During the conflict, long-hidden family secrets are revealed. Fina's bitter parting propel her on a journey that leads to more revelations about a past that has imprisoned her entire family.

Read more less

In 2012 Jean Paul Pallud wrote the After the Battle account of the Desert War; now he completes the story with detailed coverage of the landings of Operation `Torch’ in North-West Africa in November 1942. When the western Allies decided to launch a second front in North Africa, they carefully considered the anti-British feeling left in France by the ill-advised attack by the Royal Navy on the French Fleet at Mers el Kébir in July 1940. Consequently, the operation was given an American rather than a British complexion, General Eisenhower was chosen to lead a mostly American force into battle and the major Royal Navy contribution was kept as inconspicuous as possible. At this point in the war, the Allies had almost no experience with amphibious operations and it was a risky undertaking to carry out such an immense operation covering multiple landings over 600 miles apart. Even more amazing was the fact that part of the invasion forces was to depart from the United States, 6,000 miles away. As the orders were not confirmed until a month before Operation `Torch’ was launched, there was very little time to organise such a logistically complex operation involving American and British forces, and even less time for the pro-Allied French to organise more than small measures of support. There were two landings in the Mediterranean, at three main points near Algiers and three near Oran, and three landings on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. There, the main landing came ashore at Fédala, 18 miles north-east of Casablanca, and the armour was brought ashore at Safi, 140 miles south-east. In spite of all the difficulties, the landings all went well and the operation quickly achieved all of its initial objectives. However, the Germans reacted swiftly and, with little Allied interference, they rushed in reinforcements to Tunisia by air and sea. The Allies were thus drawn into a six-month campaign in Tunisia, the First Army from Operation `Torch’ soon joining hands with the Eighth Army advancing from Libya to finally clear Axis presence along the southern shore of the Mediterranean. This operation marked the first time that American troops fought against German forces during the Second World War. They had a rough baptism of fire in southern Tunisia in February 1943, training, equipment and leadership failed in many instances to meet the requirements of the battlefield, but the US Army was quick to learn and revise army doctrines, particularly with respect to the use of armour. The successful campaign created thousands of seasoned soldiers of all ranks whose experience would prove decisive in subsequent campaigns. The next test was only two months away — the invasion of Sicily. In addition, Operation `Torch’ brought the French army back into the war. Most important of all, the Allies had seized the initiative in the West.

Read more less

A proverbial cellar find brought to light a remarkable source for Napoleonic uniformology, which due to its artistic design but also high level of detail offers valuable support in the research of the military dress of Napoleonic mounted troops. A total of 56 large-format hand-coloured watercolours depict cavalry, artillery and train troops of the French Imperial period from 1804 to 1812, the Neapolitan army of 1812, and the Polish uprising of 1831. The work itself is introduced with a foreword by art historian Dr. Hans D. Baumann, commenting on the artistic representation and especially the provenance of the portfolio. It turned out that the watercolours by unknown artists were originally part of the library of the Royal Theatre in Berlin and finally reached Kassel via the salt mines of Thuringia in the course of the Second World War. From there they went to a private collector and then disappeared in the afore-mentioned cellar. The reference to the Royal Theatres in Berlin as well as the posture and presentation of some of the depicted cavalrymen quickly led to Richard Knötel‘s famous Große Uniformenkunde. This is because this doyen of German uniformology cited "coloured hand drawings from the library of the Royal Theatre of Berlin" as the source of some of his plates on the French army. His plates on the Neapolitan army are also partly based on the original source presented here for the first time. Even though the artist (or artists) probably did not produce the 56 watercolours until the late 1830s or 1840s, they are captivatingly accurate and have been assessed by Markus Gärtner and Markus Stein for their historical accuracy. Each plate is accompanied by a brief commentary, which usually classifies the depiction as correct - especially the rarer depictions, such as French carabiniers around 1812 in the sky-blue uniforms, underline the artist’s sound knowledge of Napoleonic military costume. As evidence of the painting’s contemporary origins, some plates are accompanied by illustrations by early 19th century military artists such as Martinet or Weiland, which obviously served as sources. Some illustrations are also supplemented by Knötel‘s plates, enabling readers to verify for themselves the impact these watercolours had on the creation of a work of such fundamental nature as the "Große Uniformenkunde". Thus this book spans 19th century uniformology from the early years to its perfection around 1890. In addition to the commentaries, the plates are also accompanied by historic details outlining the development and wartime deployment of the unit depicted, as well as the standards carried. These additions were made on the basis of rarer works of French military history, while modern works by military historians Markus Gärtner and Markus Stein were also consulted. Since the paintings depict mounted units throughout (both of the Guard and the Line), the reader is able to obtain a comprehensive picture of the splendour of Napoleonic cavalry turned out in their colourful uniforms. The artistic charm of a previously unpublished source and the wide range of units represented will surely make this book a highlight of any library.

Read more less

Do you want your kids to learn about the Bible in a way that is fun and entertaining?The Garden Children’s Bible is a great way to get kids to “toon” into Scripture! Lenny the Lion and Lucy the Lamb are sent out on adventures by The Boss (God), who teaches them lessons from His Word along the way. Presented by characters based on the animated series The Garden, created by award-winning animator Butch Hartman, this illustrated Bible depicts over 100 stories from the storyline of Scripture.Kids will delight in the five, full-color comic strips based on The Garden animated series spaced throughout the Bible. Twenty more full-color pages of characters and stories from Scripture will draw kids into the stunning color and original designs by Hartman.In addition to the art, one hundred short, foundational pieces of wisdom from The Boss appear in the Bible to give children easy takeaways they will carry with them for a lifetime. Two hundred Lenny and Lucy character sidebars explain key biblical concepts in clear, easy-to-understand language that helps children better connect with the content in God’s Word. And fifty prayers developed around Scripture teach children how to pray God’s Word.Scripture memorization lists, promises from Scripture, a kid-friendly topical index, dictionary, a reading plan, activity pages, and more are in this fun and encouraging Bible.Features include: Presentation Page allow you to personalize the Bible by recording a memory or note Bible Book Introductions provide concise overviews highlight important events in each book 300 Character Callouts presented by Lenny, Lucy, and “The Boss” bring emphasis to key Biblical concepts Activity End sheets at the front and back of the Bible Full-color multi-page comic section based on the animated series Bible Learning Lists such as Names of God, Bible Verses to Memorize, Miracles of Jesus, Scripture Promises End-of-page Cross-references help your child find related passages quickly and easily Topical Index and Dictionary are kid-friendly tools teaching how to use the Bible Miracles and Parables of Jesus create a quick reference to important events 50 Scripture-based Prayers provide easy topics for kids to pray about Satin Ribbon Marker to easily navigate and keep track of where you were reading 4 Pages of Full-color Maps for a visual representation of the locations where key events take place in the Bible Easy to read 10-Point Type Size The International Children’s Bible® (ICB) translation was created especially for children in the third grade and up and provides the ideal blend of readability and fidelity to the original meaning of the Scripture text.

Read more less

More and more businesses today have their receive phone service through Internet instead of local phone company lines. Many businesses are also using their internal local and wide-area network infrastructure to replace legacy enterprise telephone networks. This migration to a single network carrying voice and data is called convergence, and it's revolutionizing the world of telecommunications by slashing costs and empowering users. The technology of families driving this convergence is called VoIP, or Voice over IP. VoIP has advanced Internet-based telephony to a viable solution, piquing the interest of companies small and large. The primary reason for migrating to VoIP is cost, as it equalizes the costs of long distance calls, local calls, and e-mails to fractions of a penny per use. But the real enterprise turn-on is how VoIP empowers businesses to mold and customize telecom and datacom solutions using a single, cohesive networking platform. These business drivers are so compelling that legacy telephony is going the way of the dinosaur, yielding to Voice over IP as the dominant enterprise communications paradigm. Developed from real-world experience by a senior developer, O'Reilly's Switching to VoIP provides solutions for the most common VoIP migration challenges. So if you're a network professional who is migrating from a traditional telephony system to a modern, feature-rich network, this book is a must-have. You'll discover the strengths and weaknesses of circuit-switched and packet-switched networks, how VoIP systems impact network infrastructure, as well as solutions for common challenges involved with IP voice migrations. Among the challenges discussed and projects presented: * building a softPBX * configuring IP phones * ensuring quality of service * scalability * standards-compliance * topological considerations * coordinating a complete system ?switchover? * migrating applications like voicemail and directory services * retro-interfacing to traditional telephony * supporting mobile users * security and survivability * dealing with the challenges of NAT To help you grasp the core principles at work, Switching to VoIP uses a combination of strategy and hands-on "how-to" that introduce VoIP routers and media gateways, various makes of IP telephone equipment, legacy analog phones, IPTables and Linux firewalls, and the Asterisk open source PBX software by Digium. You'll learn how to build an IP-based or legacy-compatible phone system and voicemail system complete with e-mail integration while becoming familiar with VoIP protocols and devices. Switching to VoIP remains vendor-neutral and advocates standards, not brands. Some of the standards explored include: * SIP * H.323, SCCP, and IAX * Voice codecs *802.3af * Type of Service, IP precedence, DiffServ, and RSVP *802.1a/b/g WLAN If VoIP has your attention, like so many others, then Switching to VoIP will help you build your own system, install it, and begin making calls. It's the only thing left between you and a modern telecom network.

Read more less

Recent earthquakes and space program-related news serve as potentreminders of the uses fiber optic technology offers to anincreasingly complex world. Like living organisms sensitive tosubtle changes in the environment, buildings, structures, and spacevehicles can be equipped to sense and react to their surroundingsby means of hair-thin glass fiber sensors embedded in structuralmaterials and capable of carrying information and measuring changesin stress and other environmental factors. Data is collected andtransmitted to a central location, where the findings are assessedand damage corrected. Fiber Optic Smart Structures pools the expertise of thirty-threeleading professionals, many of whom are pioneers in the field, andoffers a comprehensive introduction to this fast growingtechnology. Beginning with a historical overview and a look at thebackground technology, the book goes on to discuss methods ofembedding optical fibers in modern high-strength, lightweightcomposite materials; ingress and egress of optical fibers; and morespecialized application concerns, including use of the Fabry-Perotinterferometer and Bragg grating sensors. Lower cost options areconsidered in light of performance trade-offs, and broad areacoverage through single-line stringing of multiple fiber sensors iscompared with single and distributed sensor approaches. The last section of the book treats the use of fiber optic smartstructures in a wide range of settings. Discussions includeapplications in environments where high temperature and ultrasonicwaves play a role; in the aerospace industry, where changes in thestructural integrity of the system demand real-time automaticchanges; and a rapidly emerging new direction, earthquake-resistantbuildings and, along similar lines, bridges that performself-diagnostics. The first and only comprehensive professional reference in thisimportant, emerging field, Fiber Optic Smart Structures is a majoraddition to the libraries of aerospace engineers, mechanicalscientists, fiber optics researchers and engineers, architects, andstructural engineers. It is also a first-rate graduate-leveltextbook. The first and only comprehensive reference on this important andemerging field... Fiber Optic Smart Structures is the ultimate resource forengineers, architects, researchers, and anyone with an interest inthis promising new technology. Thirty-three of the world's leadingprofessionals--many of them pioneers in the field--bring youcomprehensive coverage of every important aspect of fiber opticsmart structure technology, including its history and evolution,background technologies, structural and assembly issues, sensingdevices, and numerous applications. Topics of particular interest include: * An introduction to advanced composite materials associated withfiber optic smart structures * Structural integrity of materials containing embedded opticalfibers * Methods of fiber optic ingress and egress for smart structures * Detailed descriptions of the most useful and promising fiberoptic sensors, including those based on the Fabry-Perotinterferometer and Bragg grating * Extended discussions of applications, including the use of fiberoptic smart structures in high-temperature environments, qualitycontrol procedures, aircraft and space vehicles,earthquake-resistant buildings, and bridges that performself-diagnostics * And much more

Read more less

In 2013 my wife, Jeanne, and I, she in her late sixties, I in my early seventies, set out to fulfill our long held dream of living in the woods for a year. Before leaving our home in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, I contacted the editors of Tempo, the monthly news magazine in the Town of Lac Brome (which I will refer to as “Lac Brome”), to enquire whether they would be interested in receiving reports of our progress in the endeavour. They said, “Yes.” This book is based upon those articles. My original intention was to produce a work echoing the objectives of Thoreau who, in addition to describing his daily life in his chosen wilderness, commented on the mores and politics of his time in his Walden. However, each time that I penned such a commentary, I realized that it detracted from the essence of our experience. The reaction to the Tempo articles proved that the unfolding of the tale of our daily lives was all that was required to engender intense interest and comment. Thus this memoir has to do exclusively with living in the woods. How It All Began We arrived in the mid-afternoon of June 15, 2013. The car and trailer were loaded to the gills. Scooter, our cat, lay sedated in her cage. She does not like to travel and hates being in her cage. She, particularly, does not like the movement of the car if we are going over any sort of bump, bumps being inevitable on the thirty-five km of forestry roads we take once leaving the highway in La Tuque. The unloading of our stuff and the carrying of it to the cabin was a major effort, all being by packsacks, boxes and bags. The parking spot on the track in is 350 m from the cabin. I made ten trips, thus round trips totaling 7,000 m, 3,500 of them loaded. We had decided that to be true to our wilderness endeavor, we would not have a road excavated to the cabin. The ground, as was discovered during the building process, is too rough for anything other than a high clearance ATV (all-terrain vehicle). The track, from where we park the truck, which leads to the cabin, is a series of drops over rock ledges. Given the nature of the ground and that the ATVs and their trailers were generally fully- loaded, it was not surprising that two of them were wrecked during the building process. The carrying of immediately required articles and food accomplished, we then indulged in a soothing swim and returned to the cabin as enthused and as excited as newlyweds. We opened a bottle of wine on the west-facing balcony, watched the sun set and rejoiced to see a pair of loons on the lake. Supper, then bed, exhausted but exhilarated. ******************** For about as long as I have known Jeanne she has wanted to spend an entire year, three hundred and sixty-five consecutive days, in the woods. This is not motivated by a desire to be a hermit or because she is anti-social. To paraphrase Montaigne, she is quite content living a private life but that does not mean that she is unsuited to a public one. After all, she insisted, it is only for one year. When I asked, “Might it be that you would never come back?” she answered, “It’s only for a year.” I should immediately add that this was not to be a year alone. Jeanne insisted that I was part of the plan and was to go with her. I like to think that this was because she loves me but if that was only part of the reason, for she would need a hewer of wood and fetcher of water, a man servant in the general sense, then I was content, for I need looking after myself and our lives have been inter-dependent since the day of our marriage which was over fifty years ago. Our adult lives have been outwardly quite normal. I am a lawyer specializing in maritime law, meaning having to do with ships. Jeanne has been a school teacher, first at Westhill High School and then at the Convent of the Sacred heart, both in Montreal. She then embraced her childhood dream of being a ballet dancer, which lead to her becoming a choreographer, teacher and performer of dance, first on the teaching staff of les Ballets Jazz de MontrÉal, then as owner of le Centre de Dance Jeanne Marler, which included an annual, international, two-week dance seminar with closing performance, called Focus on Jazz. It attracted aspiring pre-professionals from around the world. At a certain point, she decided that if she could no longer physically perform the dance movements at the level which she had attained in her performance career, it was time to move on. She obtained a diploma from the New York School of Interior Design and embarked upon that profession until she found it too commercially driven, the demands of the clients too often conflicting with Jeanne’s sense of what was artistically and/or practically appropriate. She then opened a performing and fine arts camp for children and adolescents, set in the pristine hills and woods of Vermont, which she ran with great success for three years, until the property which she had leased became no longer available, due to the owner’s intention to build a hotel on the site. In the mid-nineteen-nineties she turned to painting. Her sketches, oil paintings and photography illuminate this book. “But why in the woods?” many asked. Most Canadians think of going south rather than north for vacations or retirement. Only Jeanne might properly be able to answer that question. She is a spiritual person, very much in the Celtic tradition. When we go to the woods she becomes very quiet. On family vacations to wilderness locations, the children used to say, “That’s it for talking to Mum. She will turn into a rock or a mushroom or something for as long as we are here”. And so it was. On our departures from such places she often cried. We asked, “What’s the matter?” There would be no answer. I think it had and has simply to do with leaving places where her spirit finds its natural home.

Read more less

A story of espionage that could have changed the course of history and saved thousands of American and British lives - and millions of Asian lives. ‘On the night of 3 December 1941, I could not fall asleep,’ Kilsoo Haan remembered. ‘I went to the Chop Suey House, the Chinese Lantern, and ordered a bowl of Chinese soup. Next to my table, a Japanese was trying to sell a Chinese a second-hand automobile. After the Japanese left, the Chinese said to me, “You like to buy cheap automobile?” After a pause he said, “This Japanese is selling four automobiles owned by the Japanese Embassy workers because they are going to Japan pretty soon… Oh so cheap.”’ Four days later the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Before the Second World War, Korean-American Kilsoo Haan repeatedly warned the United States about the Japanese attack and accurately supplied every conceivable detail as relayed to him by Korean agents: midget submarines as well as aircraft at Pearl Harbor, then giant submarine aircraft carriers on the high seas that almost bombed San Diego with plague germs until Tojo cancelled the air strike, and a joint Chinese-Japanese attack - Operation Ichi-Go - against the American and Chinese Nationalist forces, which drove through Chiang Kai-shek’s much larger army. When US political bungling helped to create a Communist North Korea, Haan continued to supply information about Soviet nuclear tests in Siberia, the development of Soviet guided missiles, and the North Korean invasion of the Republic of Korea, which led to thousands of American and British casualties. He was ignored. The story of American influence in Korea and dealings with Japan provides a little-known new perspective on the Pacific War and remains a factor today in international politics. Author John Koster explains the tragic and bloody entangled histories of Japan, China and Korea that form the backdrop to this extraordinary story.

Read more less

Jack's Journey is the moving and extraordinary story of an unknown ANZAC action at Gallipoli during the period of the Landing on 1 and 2 May, 1915. Kit Cullen began tracing Jack Collyer's story using his three diaries and his service record. The diaries cover the voyage from Australia to training in Egypt and Lemnos and, finally, landing at Anzac. Unfortunately, the last diary ended as Jack entered the firing line on Bolton's Ridge at dusk on 25 April. He was wounded a week later. Where was Jack and what was he doing when he was wounded? What Kit discovered over ten years of painstaking research is extraordinary. On 1 May Jack and about fifty other members of No. 15 Platoon 4th Battalion were ordered to go to the aid of about 60 Royal Marines who had been trapped for two and a half days in an isolated trench. The Marines were running out of ammunition and water and needed support. Before dawn Jack and his mates entered the valley, which they christened Death Trap Valley, before dawn and positioned themselves in Loutit's Post overlooking the Marines for most of the day under heavy enemy fire. The 4th Battalion's rescue mission was undertaken at the height of the third Turkish counter attack. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon the ANZACs were ordered to resupply the Marines with ammunition and water and to reinforce their line. To do so meant running the gauntlet of the death trap - an exposed fifty metre long track, marked by the Turks as a killing ground. As the platoon braved the death trap, one by one, most of them were killed or wounded, including Jack. Snowy Robson carried ammunition and water to the beleaguered garrison without being hit. An hour later he also guided and took charge of No.3 Platoon 4th Battalion which was ordered into the valley to reinforce the isolated trench. In all, Snowy diced the death trap six times - five in daylight - without being hit. The position and the Marines were saved. Five Allied gallantry medals were awarded for the action, including the first Victoria Cross at Anzac. Walter Parker, a Royal Marine stretcher bearer, was the recipient. Snowy Robson was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal for his feats. The other extraordinary aspect of the 4th Battalion's participation in the action was the corruption of the historical record by Charles Bean. Bean omitted any reference to the 4th Battalion in his telling of the story in the Official History, despite knowing what happened. Instead, he gave the credit for saving the Marines to his brother's unit, the 3rd Battalion, which played a part on 2 May in relieving the Marines and the remnants of the two 4th Battalion parties. Bean misused a letter from the Royal Marine hierarchy specifically praising the 4th Battalion's sacrifice and courage, claiming its sentiments for the 3rd Battalion. The tragic heroism of Jack and his mates, and Bean's historiographical skulduggery would have remained hidden if Kit Cullen hadn't stumbled on them in the course of his research.

Read more less

In this riveting critique of the Fleet Air Arm's policy across two world wars, former FAA Fighter Pilot Henry Adlam charts the course of its history from 1912 to 1945, logging the various milestones, mistakes and successes that characterised the service history of the Fleet Air Arm. Offering criticism on the service hierarchies that made up the Fleet, backed up by his having served in six Carriers and flown from them in all five theatres of sea warfare during five years of the Second World War, Adlam presents a highly entertaining and potentially controversial study which is sure to appeal to a wide array of aviation enthusiasts. Adlam charts the catalogue of errors that blighted the history of the Naval Air Service, which followed the disastrous decision in April 1918 to transfer the whole of the Air Service of the Royal Navy to form the new RAF. The main and over-riding criticism that the author finds with the Fleet Air Arm lies in the manner in which it was led. Adapting the oft-quoted "Lions led by Donkeys" description of the British Army, Adlam describes the activities of the Fleet Air Arm in the Second World War as the result of "Sea Eagles led by Penguins" practices, when experienced pilots were led into battle by senior members of the Navy who possessed little or no flying experience. This led to a whole host of disasters costing many lives amongst flight personnel. Adlam charts the errors that blighted the history of the Fleet Air Arm and shows how its recovery and the triumphant turnaround of its fortunes were all the more remarkable. Taking the reader on a journey from inception during First World War service, throughout all the many disasters and successes that followed between the Wars and on into the Second World War and beyond, this book offers engaging new insights and a degree of critical candour that set it apart from other Fleet Air Arm histories currently available on the market.

Read more less

Advances in technology often rely on a world of photons as the basic units of light. Increasingly one reads of photons as essential to enterprises in Photonics and Quantum Technology, with career and investment opportunities. Notions of photons have evolved from the energy-packet crowds of Planck and Einstein, the later field modes of Dirac, the seeming conflict of wave and particle photons, to the ubiquitous laser photons of today. Readers who take interest in contemporary technology will benefit from learning what photons are now considered to be, and how our views of photons have changed -- in learning about the various operational definitions that have been used for photons and their association with a variety of quantum-state manipulations that include Quantum Information, astronomical sources and crowds of photons, the boxed fields of Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics and single photons on demand, the photons of Feynman and Glauber, and the photon constituents of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. The narrative points to contemporary photons as causers of change to atoms, as carriers of messages, and as subject to controllable creation and alteration -- a considerable diversity of photons, not just one kind. Our Changing Views of Photons: A Tutorial Memoir presents those general topics as a memoir of the author's involvement with physics and the photons of theoretical Quantum Optics, written conversationally for readers with no assumed prior exposure to science. It offers lay readers a glimpse of scientific discovery -- of how ideas become practical, as a small scientific community reconsiders its assumptions and offers the theoretical ideas that are then developed, revised, and adopted into technology for daily use. For readers who want a more detailed understanding of the theory, three substantial appendices provide tutorials that, assuming no prior familiarity, proceed from a very elementary start to basics of discrete states and abstract vector spaces; Lie groups; notions of quantum theory and the Schrödinger equation for quantum-state manipulation; Maxwell's equations for electromagnetism, with wave modes that become photons, possibly exhibiting quantum entanglement; and the coupling of atoms and fields to create quasiparticles. The appendices can be seen as a companion to traditional textbooks on Quantum Optics.

Read more less

For thousands of years boys known as 'bleeders' faced an early, painful death from hemophilia. Dubbed 'the Royal Disease' because of its identification with Queen Victoria, the world's most renowned carrier, hemophilia is a genetic disease whose sufferers had little recourse until the mid-twentieth century. In the first book to chronicle the emergence and transformation of the hemophilia community, Susan Resnik sets her story within our national political landscape - where the disease is also a social, psychological, and economic experience. "Blood Saga" includes many players and domains: men with hemophilia and their families, medical personnel, science researchers, and the author herself, who was Director of Education of the National Hemophilia Foundation in the early 1980s. At that time the 'miracle treatment' of freeze-dried pooled plasma blood products enabled men with hemophilia to lead full, normal lives. Then the AIDS virus infiltrated the treatment system and over fifty percent of the hemophilia community became HIV-positive. But rather than collapsing, this community refocused its priorities, extended its reach, and helped shape blood safety policies to prevent further tragedy. The hemophilia community includes people from every socioeconomic and ethnic group, and Resnik's narrative and use of oral histories never lose touch with those affected by the disease. Her extensive informant interviewing allows much of this social history to be told by participants on all levels: parents, wives, nurses, doctors, government agency directors, health care providers, and many others. Gene insertion therapy now holds the promise of a cure for hemophilia in the near future. Scientific breakthroughs inevitably become intertwined with the industry and academic medical centers that govern the national health care system. And in that system, says Resnik, costs and safety are sometimes contending issues. She makes clear that the lessons learned in "Blood Saga" apply to all of us.

Read more less

The Footprint ― The brilliant work of the artist and, specifically, the realism with which Luzón brings this story to life forces us to experience the protagonist's emotions in every stroke. “Throughout the book, a striking contrast emerges an animal world with human feelings.”The compositions and techniques with which the artist plays to recreate the various scenarios and breathe life into the protagonist’s emotions overwhelm the reader to the point where it is impossible not to empathize with him. Images and verses that envelop us in an atmosphere as turbulent as friendship can be a difficult beginning, with an initial rejection of the different, what we call “strange,” which quickly finds that gift of life called friendship, the one that allows us to face and even forget all the adversities that cross our path. A strong and intense friendship that carries us along on a river of fun and well-being and that both Sobrino and Luzón manage to make us feel between the pages of this beautiful album.Companionship can be one of the most beautiful experiences to be discovered in childhood, but it can also be one of the most painful when it breaks down. That’s why this story isn’t just about how good it is to have a great friend. Sometimes things go wrong; paths diverge, and, without expecting it, lives that were once one become separated forever. Dealing with the grief you experience, especially for a child, is not easy.This is why this beautiful book gives us a powerful message of hope and illusion:“That those who were here may have left an indelible mark, but they also leave a space that can be filled by others who are ready to make us immensely happy.”. Because in childhood, during emotional turmoil, friendship can be a wonderful experience or the most significant lesson.La huella ― A lo largo de la infancia, los niños pueden sentirse muy afectados y tremendamente tristes ante la ruptura de una amistad o ante las circunstancias que lo obliguen a separarse de su mejor amigo.Este hermoso álbum ilustrado representa un extraordinario recurso para abordar el duelo por separación, contribuyendo al aprendizaje de una correcta gestión emocional. El brillante trabajo de la artista, Carolina Luzón y, concretamente, el realismo con el que da vida a los personajes de este libro nos permite vivir las emociones de su protagonista en cada trazo y nos lleva a empatizar con él Javier Sobrino nos recuerda la maravillosa complicidad que se genera con la amistad y cuán felices puede llegar a hacernos. Pero también nos advierte de la posibilidad de su ruptura o término por distanciamiento.Por eso nos deja este precioso y emotivo libro donde nos regala un poderoso mensaje para enfrentar ese duelo con ilusión y esperanza:“Puede que alguien nos haya dejado una huella con su partida, pero también deja la oportunidad de que otros lleguen a nuestras vidas para hacernos felices”.

Read more less

Conservationist Grant Fowlds lives to save and protect Africa's rhinos, elephants and other iconic wildlife, to preserve their habitats, to increase their range and bring back the animals where they have been decimated by decades of war, as in Angola, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This vivid account of his work tells of a fellow conservationist tragically killed by the elephants he was seeking to save and a face-off with poachers, impoverished rural people exploited by rapacious local businessmen. Fowlds describes the impact of the Covid pandemic on conservation efforts, the vital wildlife tourism that sustains these and rural communities; and tells of conservationists' efforts to support people through the crisis. Lockdowns may have brought a welcome lull in rhino and other poaching, but also brought precious tourism to a standstill. He shows how the pandemic has highlighted the danger to the world of the illicit trade in endangered wildlife, some of it sold in 'wet markets', where pathogens incubate and spread. He describes a restoration project of apartheid-era, ex-South African soldiers seeking to make reparations in Angola, engulfed for many years in a profoundly damaging civil war, which drew in outside forces, from Cuba, Russia and South Africa, with a catastophic impact on that country's wildlife. Those who fund conservation, whether in the US, Zambia or South Africa itself, are of vital importance to efforts to conserve and rewild: some supposed angel-investors turn out to be not what they had appeared, some are thwarted in their efforts, but others are open-hearted and generous in the extreme, which makes their sudden, unexpected death an even greater tragedy. A passionate desire to conserve nature has also brought conservationists previously active in far-off Venezuela to southern Africa. Fowlds describes fraught meetings to negotiate the coexistence of wildlife and rural communities. There are vivid accounts of the skilled and dangerous work of using helicopters to keep wildebeest, carrying disease, and cattle apart, and to keep elephants from damaging communal land and eating crops such as sugar cane. He tells of a project to restore Africa's previously vast herds of elephants, particularly the famed 'tuskers', with their unusually large tusks, once prized and hunted almost to extinction. The range expansion that this entails is key to enabling Africa's iconic wildlife to survive, to preserving its wilderness and, in turn, helping humankind to survive.There is a heartening look at conservation efforts in Mozambique, a country scarred by years of war, which are starting to bear fruit, though just as a new ISIS insurgency creates havoc in the north of the country. What will humanity's relationship with nature be post-pandemic? Will we have begun to learn that by conserving iconic wildlife and their habitats we help to preserve and restore precious pockets of wilderness, which are so vital not only the survival of wildlife, but to our own survival on our one precious planet.

Read more less

This new book explores for the first time the full story of how two Turkish and two Chilean battleships became British capital ships after the outbreak of the First World War. Under construction by the shipbuilding giants of Armstrong and Vickers in August 1914, Sultan Osman I, Re?adiye, Almirante Latorre and Almirante Cochrane became HM Ships Agincourt, Erin, Canada and Eagle. The first three served with the Grand Fleet, fighting at Jutland, while the last was transformed into a pioneering aircraft carrier, which would serve with distinction until sunk while escorting a convoy to Malta in 1942\. While two of the other ships had short lives - cut short by the Washington Naval Treaty - the final ship, Almirante Latorre, would be returned to Chile after the war, for a continuing active career that would last into the 1950s. When finally towed away for scrap in 1959, she was the penultimate survivor of Jutland. Drawing on extensive archival research, the book begins with an overview of the warships under construction around Europe for foreign customers in August 1914, and how the four ships featured were acquired by the Royal Navy. It then looks at them as manifestations of the international rivalries which directed much of the national budgets of impecunious South American and Balkan states towards armaments. The focus then switches to the British service of the ships actually completed as battleships, and then to the story of the carrier. Although never finished as a battleship, she would play a crucial role in the development of British carrier aviation. Finally, the author traces the stories of the battleships of the Latin-American naval race from the 1920s down to the 1950s. The stories and back-stories of Agincourt, Erin, Canada and Eagle embrace almost the whole of the twentieth-century battleship era, and they take us down the byways of international naval power, ranging from the Pacific to the Black Sea, and from the line of battle to mutiny and revolution. A fascinating and original story.

Read more less

Money and Plan concerns the changing role of money and finance in the East European countries as they enact economic reforms designed to decentralize economic decisions, extend enterprise autonomy, and rationalize the management of their economies. The book is the first in the Western world to address itself directly to this theme. In the Stalinist economic system, which all European communist countries shared until the mid-sixties and which most still do, money lays a subordinate role. In the production sector its use in planning and by state-owned enterprises has been restricted and circumscribed in many ways. Objectives and performance standards are defined in physical terms (i.e., in physical units of inputs and output). Planning also is executed in physical units. Although banking and other financial institutions exist, they mainly supervise enterprises rather than redistribute national resources or appraise commercial prospects. As for foreign trade, it has been conducted largely on a barter basis. Nevertheless, insofar as money has been used, it has posed a number of important problems. One of these has been chronic inflationary pressure. In the present volume two contributors investigate the historical record and the cause of inflation in Poland, and develop theoretical models to explain the phenomenon. Inflation is only one national economic problem raised by current forms requiring new monetary and financial policies. Decentralization also raises important questions of full employment, balance of payments management, sectoral and regional relations, and incomes policy--matters that will have to be handled increasingly by monetary and financial means, often quite similar to those developed and practices in the West. Moreover, as individual enterprises gain more autonomy in their current operations and investment, and as physical planning and control are curtailed, redit policies, instruments, and institutions will have to be devised to guide micro-economic activity in consonance with national plans. The East European contries that are carrying economic reform much further than the rest are Czechoslovakia and Hungary, which intend to introduce a functioning market mechanism together with considerable enterprise autonomy in the production (state-owned) sector. Three contributors consider the case specially. Another contributor discusses the majore attempt thus far by the East European countries to abandon bilateral, barter-like trade among themselvs in favor of a financial framework for multilateral clearing and a new monetary unit, the "transferable ruble." The editor's Introduction and a concluding chapter by a final contributor view the changing role of money and finance in comprehensive terms. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1968.

Read more less

Get ready to provide efficient, informed patient care, with the newly updated Professional Guide to Diseases , 11th Edition . This comprehensive guide offers the causes, signs and symptoms for more than 600 disorders, with expert nursing direction on tests, assessments, diagnosis, treatments, and special considerations.Whether you are a student preparing for board certification or are a new or experienced nurse, this is vital support for understanding correct treatment of the common conditions seen almost daily. Build up your ground-floor knowledge of a wide range of common disorders and diseases: NEW full-color figures and illustrations Boxed text on pathophysiology and prevention that helps reinforce difficult concepts Icons that emphasize important concepts: Elderly Tip, Pediatric Tip, Clinical Alert, Life-Threatening Disorder, and Confirming Diagnosis Consistent template that makes information quick and easy to find yet comprehensive enough to offer complete coverage of a group of similar diseases Expert guidance that leads you to targeted, cost-effective testing Chapters offer a thorough grounding in:Disorders found in individual body systems – Cardiovascular; respiratory; neurologic; gastrointestinal; hepatobiliary; musculoskeletal; renal and urologic; immune; hematologic; metabolic and nutritional; endocrine; eye; ear, nose and throat; skin; genetic; obstetric and gynecologic; sexual; and psychiatric Malignant neoplasms – Head, neck and spine; thorax; abdomen and pelvis; male and female genitalia; bone, skin and soft tissue; blood and lymph Infection – Gram-positive cocci, gram-negative cocci, gram-positive bacilli, gram-negative bacilli, spirochetes and mycobacteria, mycoses, respiratory viruses, rash-producing viruses, enteroviruses, arbovirus, miscellaneous viruses, rickettsia, protozoa, helminths Trauma – Head, neck and spine, thorax, abdomen, extremities, whole body Updated information on rare diseases, potential agents of bioterrorism, and complementary and alternative therapies for specific conditions, with additional coverage for more than 50 life-threatening disorders Detailed guidance on hundreds of commonly seen disorders and diseases in easy-to-read language — ideal for both graduate and undergraduate study Offers new nurses the confidence to function fully while building on-the-unit skills and know-how Small enough size to carry with you as a solid resource — informative, concise and organized for easy reference Your book purchase includes a complimentary download of the enhanced eBook for iOS™, Android™, PC and Mac. Take advantage of these practical features that will improve your eBook experience: The ability to download the eBook on multiple devices at one time — providing a seamless reading experience online or offline Easily convert to audiobook, powering your content with natural language text-to-speech Powerful search tools and smart navigation cross-links that allow you to search within this book, or across your entire library of VitalSource eBooks About the Clinical Editor Dr. Laura M. Willis, DNP, APRN-CNP,CMSRN, is a Family Nurse Practitioner at Urbana Family Medicine and Pediatrics in Urbana, Ohio

Read more less

On Dangerous Ground is the revolutionary period memoir of Republican Máire Comerford (1893–1982). This striking memoir, one of the last of its era, includes Comerford’s original text, written mainly in the 1940s and ’50s, and new material unearthed from her extensive archive that also contains a wealth of photographs and memorabilia from the period. The memoir begins with Comerford’s recollection of Sunday strolls to Avondale, former home of Charles Stewart Parnell, who was a neighbour of her father, the mill owner James Comerford. As a young woman, she experiences a ‘political awakening’ at the hands of a fierce Unionist woman in a secretarial college in London. Máire Comerford (the only Catholic in the class) begins to engage with Irish history books to counterbalance this brush with religious sectarianism. On her return to County Wexford to live with her mother’s people – a move necessitated by the family’s change of fortune – she re-enters the genteel world of fox hunting and luncheon parties. The memoir paints an intriguing picture of rural life of the time heralding the arrival of the motorcar, social and economic conditions, the rise of the Gaelic League, debates about Home Rule, and the First World War. While the description of her surroundings as a young adult is intriguing and often charming, change is in the air in Ireland and a sharp and wide-ranging political analysis is ever present throughout her writing. Following Comerford’s witness account of Dublin during the 1916 Rising, she begins a life of political engagement, joining Cumann na mBan, Sinn Féin and the Gaelic League. In 1919, she moves permanently to Dublin to live with and work for renowned historian and nationalist, Alice Stopford Green. There, she becomes immersed in Republican politics and the War of Independence. Comerford’s memoir gives voice to the experience of Republican women during revolutionary times, highlighting the immense contribution of women in the struggle for an Irish Republic. She works all over the country, moving arms, carrying dispatches, finding safe houses, researching atrocities and working assiduously for Ireland. She experiences raids, prison vigils, funerals of her comrades and dangers of all kinds, but nothing cuts as deep as the sense of utter betrayal following the signing of the Treaty in 1922. Comerford takes the anti-Treaty side, is imprisoned a number of times and endures a 27-day hunger strike. Following her release, she leaves Ireland on a tour of east coast American cities to raise funds for the Republican cause at the behest of de Valera. She returns to a harsh, poverty-stricken and lonely existence, eking out a living on a hilltop poultry farm in Wexford. But while her memoir ends in bleak times, her overarching vision suggests an unquenchable optimism – and that the fight will go on. An epilogue by the editor chronicles the years between 1927 and her death.

Read more less

Award-winning songwriter Linda Thompson breaks her silence, sharing the extraordinary story of her life, career, and epic romances with two of the most celebrated, yet enigmatic, modern American superstars-Elvis Presley and Bruce Jenner For the last forty years, award-winning songwriter Linda Thompson has quietly led one of the most remarkable lives in show business. The longtime live-in love of Elvis Presley, Linda first emerged into the limelight during the 1970s when the former beauty pageant queen caught the eye of the King. Their chance late-night encounter at a movie theater was the stuff of legend, and it marked the beginning of a whirlwind that would stretch across decades, leading to a marriage with Bruce Jenner, motherhood, and more drama than she ever could have imagined. Now, for the first time, Linda opens up about it all, telling the full story of her life, loves, and everything in between. From her humble beginnings in Memphis to her nearly five-year relationship with Elvis, she offers an intimate window into their life together, describing how their Southern roots fueled and sustained Graceland's greatest romance. Going inside their wild stories and tender moments, she paints a portrait of life with the King, as raucous as it is refreshing. But despite the joy they shared, life with Elvis also had darkness, and her account also presents an unsparing look at Elvis's twin demons-drug abuse and infidelity-forces he battled throughout their time together that would eventually end their relationship just eight months before his untimely death. It was in the difficult aftermath of Elvis's death that Linda found what she believed was her true home: the arms of Olympic gold medal-winner Bruce Jenner. Detailing her marriage to Bruce, Linda reveals the seemingly perfect life that they built with their two young sons-Brandon and Brody-before Bruce changed everything with a secret he'd been carrying his entire life, a secret that Linda herself kept for nearly thirty years, a secret that Bruce's transition to Caitlyn Jenner has finally laid bare for the world. Providing a candid look inside one of the most challenging moments of her life, Linda uncovers the struggles she went through as a woman and a mother, coming to terms with the reality of Bruce's identity and resolving to embrace him completely no matter what, even as it meant they could no longer be together. And yet, despite her marriage unraveling, her search for love was not over, eventually leading her to the legendary music producer and musician David Foster-a relationship that lasted for nineteen tumultuous years, resulting in a bond that spurred her songwriting career to new heights but also tested her like never before. Filled with compelling and poignant stories and sixteen pages of photographs, A Little Thing Called Life lovingly recounts Linda's incredible journey through the years, bringing unparalleled insight into three legendary figures.

Read more less

From Here to the Horizon presents the work of fifty of America’s leading contemporary landscape photographers in honor of the life and influence of Barry Lopez (1945–2020), one of our most revered writers about the landscape and our place within it. Work by each photographer was selected in relation to, and accompanied by, an excerpt from the best-selling book Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape, a reader’s A-to-Z guide to American landscape terms, edited by Lopez and Debra Gwartney. With images reflecting landforms or locations and others that are more evocative, the collection creates a portrait of the beauty, diversity, and abundance found in our shared North American topography.For Lopez, the land was never simply a background for human activity but reflected our aspirations and desires, both as individuals and communities. He had a particular affinity with photographers, and some have compared his precise, crystalline language to the artistry found in photography. As Virginia Beahan noted, “What impressed me so much about Barry’s writing was the slow-moving attention to detail . . . as he tried to make sense of the world.The collection includes leading photographers such as Virginia Beahan, Barbara Bosworth, Frank Gohlke, Lois Conner, Emmet Gowin, Mark Klett, David Maisel, Laura McPhee, Andrew Moore, Mark Ruwedel, and essays by Debra Gwartney, Robert Macfarlane, and Toby Jurovics. From Here to the Horizon serves as a marker of the admiration of and affection for Lopez and will spark the imagination of places we already know, or hope to one day visit, or may never see but carry with us because of the life-affirming work of writers like Lopez.Photographers: Robert Adams, Virginia Beahan, Marion Belanger, Michael Berman, Andrew Borowiec, Barbara Bosworth, Joann Brennan, Gregory Conniff, Linda Connor, Lois Conner , Thomas Joshua Cooper, Robert Dawson, Peter de Lory, Lucinda Devlin, Rick Dingus, Terry Evans, Lukas Felzmann, Steve Fitch, Frank Gohlke, Peter Goin, Emmet Gowin, Wayne Gudmundson, Owen Gump, David T. Hanson, Alex Harris, Allen Hess, Ron Jude, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Mark Klett, Stuart Klipper, Peter Latner, David Maisel, Laura McPhee, Andrew Moore, Eric Paddock, Mary Peck, Edward Ranney, Jeff Rich, Meghann Riepenhoff, Mark Ruwedel, Mike Smith, Joel Sternfeld, Martin Stupich, Willy Sutton, Bob Thall , Terry Toedtemeier, Geoff Winningham, Dennis Witmer, and William WylieWriters: Jeffery Renard Allen, Kim Barnes, Conger Beasley Jr., Lan Samantha Chang, Michael Collier, Elizabeth Cox, William deBuys, Pamela Frierson, Robert Hass, Patricia Hampl, Emily Hiestand, Linda Hogan, Barbara Kingsolver, William Kittredge, Gretchen Legler, Ellen Meloy, Robert Morgan, Antonya Nelson, Pattiann Rogers, Scott Russell Sanders, Eva Saulitis, Donna Seaman, Carolyn Servid, Kim Stafford, Arthur Sze, D. J. Waldie, Joy Williams, Terry Tempest Williams, and Larry Woiwod

Read more less

From humble beginnings as a `barefoot boy’ in a small town in the heart of South Africa, he learned to mix with presidents and prime ministers, with royalty and popes, and quickly embraced the high-life of the jet-set who surrounded him. Throughout life, he was a serial womanizer, bedding famous European film stars (and their secretaries). He survived three tempestuous marriages and divorces, each wife becoming younger than the last until their age difference reached 40 years. This scientifically-trained surgeon called on the services of a `witchdoctor’ (a sangoma)—unsuccessfully—to help punish those who had contributed to the break-up of his second marriage. With no experience himself, he trained his daughter to become the second-ranked water skier in the world, though he was disappointed she never became world champion. Perhaps the immense effort he put into driving her to success accounted for the relative neglect of his oldest son, who, as a young doctor, suffered increasing depression until he died of a drug overdose at an early age. The surgeon pursued his goals in heart surgery despite a lifetime of pain from arthritis and a disability from asthma, which might eventually have killed him. Having established the first major heart surgery programme in Africa, he eventually became distracted by other interests until he was a mere shadow in his own department. Yet he remained in the public eye through his gifts for public speaking and as a writer. He travelled the world, published two autobiographies, wrote popular books on health for the public, particularly relating to heart disease and arthritis, and penned books on such varied subjects as the politics of apartheid in his homeland, and euthanasia. He became a well-regarded and popular columnist for several South African newspapers, and collaborated on the writing of four novels. He branched into the business world and expanded the meagre financial rewards earned from his surgical services to the South African health care system by investing in restaurants in Cape Town, establishing a game reserve in the hinterland of South Africa, and causing controversy by his role in advertising a cream that reputedly prevented wrinkling of the skin. He set up a heart research foundation and a foundation that paid for children from all over the world to travel to Cape Town for corrective open heart surgery. This charismatic and controversial man was Chris Barnard who, by the way, also dared to carry out the world’s first human heart transplant in December 1967. Can we summarize Chris Barnard? Not very easily. He was a first-class doctor—skilled, knowledgeable, compassionate, conscientious, concerned, decisive, and wise. He was an inquiring and innovative surgeon—though famously irascible in the operating room—with a vision of the future developments in his chosen field, and the ability, judgment, and courage to play a part in contributing to those developments. He was an informative and highly entertaining speaker and raconteur, a gifted writer, farmer, restaurateur, an unofficial ambassador for his country—and a good friend.

Read more less

'THE BOOK THAT EVERY REGGAE FAN SHOULD READ' John Masouri, Echoes'Rodigan can still claim a currency few presenters of his vintage can match. Perhaps it's because while his wider musical and professional milieu has been in constant change, his boundless enthusiasm has been constant. Reggae's been lucky to have him' Ian Harrison, MOJO'Rodigan was a major part of my childhood, he played the hottest tunes and in a style that just resonated with me and millions like me. Being able to contribute anything to a man that filled my life with such joy is an honour, respect, David Rodigan' Ian Wright'David is a pioneer in Reggae music. As a selector and radio personality, his vast knowledge of Jamaican music and its culture has helped to educate and fascinate music lovers around the world; he's an amazing son of the music, and an icon. We couldn't have made it this far without him' ShaggyThis is the unlikely story of David Rodigan: an Army sergeant's son from the English countryside who has become the man who has taught the world about Reggae. As the sound of Jamaica has morphed over five decades through a succession of different genres - from Ska and Rock Steady, to Dub, Roots and Dancehall - Rodigan has remained its constant champion, winning the respect of generation after generation of Reggae followers across the globe.Today, at the age of 63, he is a headline performer at almost all the UK's big music festivals, as well as events across the world. Young people revere him and he is a leading presenter on the BBC's youth network 1Xtra as well as a regular fixture at leading nightclubs such as London's Fabric and at student unions throughout the land. And he continues to go into the heartlands of Reggae, to the downtown dancehalls of Kingston and Montego Bay in Jamaica to compete in tournaments against the greatest sound systems. And yet, for all of this, David Rodigan is the antithesis of the stereotype of an international dance music DJ. 'I look like an accountant or a dentist,' he admitted to The Independent a decade ago. A man of impeccable manners, Rodigan prepares for a big sound clash by retiring to his hotel bed with a Thomas Hardy novel before taking a nap and then a cup of espresso before heading to the club. Rodigan is the inside story of this apparent paradox. It tells how a boy from Kidlington has become an admired international ambassador for a music form that remains as proud as ever of its African roots, a sound that emanates from and fiercely represents the ghetto poor. He now reaches across the age groups, from teens through to those of his own vintage. At the pinnacle of his career, Rodigan has become the DJ for all generations.'David Rodigan is a force of nature. His spirit and passion are a rare and wonderful thing. He has dedicated his life to carrying the torch for Reggae music and is hugely respected all over the world for his knowledge and talent as a broadcaster and a DJ. Long may he reign on our stages and on our airwaves' Annie Mac

Read more less

"From his early enthusiasm for American jazz in Berlin cabarets to his membership of Terezin's celebrated Ghetto Swingers and surviving Auschwitz through his music, to post-war appearances with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, jazz remains a constant in a remarkable life story. [...] Illustrated by a fascinating range of photographs." -- The Jazz Rag (UK) "It is rare and beautiful that someone can play with such sadness--and with such musical humor." -- Abendzeitung Munchen (Germany) "The recently published, never-before translated book by "Coco" Schumann traces his journey from Berlin's pre-war nightlife to a band in Auschwitz and back to Berlin -- and doesn't miss a beat. [...] Look for this unusual book." -- Israel National News "An interesting and enlightening read. The passion and the clarity with which Schumann recalls his past experiences, playing with some of the greats, surviving World War II, his internment, are all very evident. I felt like I was listening to the gregarious great-uncle with stories almost too good to be true, other than the fact that they really are. This book very much feels like a conversation carried on between Schumann and anyone passionate about music." -- Reading for Sanity (USA) "A spirited and colorful story about the art of humor, as well as the power of hope in circumstances where there is no hope. Even in the Auschwitz death camp music gave Schumann hope, and he gave it to others in the message of his music." -- Satakunnan Kansa (Finland) "Why should you read this book? Coco Schumann takes you on a trip through his life and the history that surrounded it. This book not only gives a new perspective on World War Two, but provides a closer look at the jazz scene of the twentieth century as well. Schumann grabs your interest and lets you witness his beautiful, humorous and shocking experiences from up close." -- BLVD (The Netherlands) Coco Schumann's career as a jazz and swing musician spans more than seventy years and is replete with honors. But for decades Schumann bore his wartime experiences as a Holocaust survivor in silence, with only the pleasure of composing music and performing for live audiences to ease the burden of his most haunting memories. In his memoir, Schumann recounts the vibrant underground club scenes of Berlin in the years surrounding World War II as well as providing backstage glimpses into Berlin's famous nightlife, where he shared the stage with such jazz notables as Helmut Zacharias, Tullio Mobiglia, Toots Thielemans, and American visitors like Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald. At the same time, The Ghetto Swinger offers Schumann's harrowing testimony from 1943-1945 about daily life inside Theresienstadt (Terezin) and Auschwitz, and provides readers with the important perspective of a Jewish Holocaust survivor who remained in Germany after the war. In his home country, Schumann is a celebrated personality. But until now, his life story hasn't been accessible to English-speaking audiences. Featuring rare photographs and an Afterword by Weimar- and Nazi-era culture scholar Michael H. Kater, The Ghetto Swinger is an engrossing historical document as much as it is a heartwarming memoir.

Read more less