Search results for ""Author Carrie"

This book is about the men of the 79th Fighter Group on the "forgotten" Mediterranean front in World War II. It tells who they were, what they did, and because it is set in the broader context of the entire conflict in that theater is shows how the war on the ground influenced their war in the air. The 79th spent much of its tour with the RAF's Desert Air Force in Tunisia, Sicily, and the "other side" of Italy - providing readers with an inside look at battles generally not well known to the American public - and also took part in the battle for Rome and the invasion of southern France. It racked up an enviable record. It destroyed hundreds of ground targets, led all Allied fighters in victories over both Pantelleria and Anzio, gave three destroyers the "deep six," and was the only fighter group to sink an aircraft carrier.

Read more less

The United States Naval Aviation service celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011 and since then it has continued to be at the forefront of military aviation developments. The past ten years have been significant for continuous improvement, development, and efficiency. In that time, the service has dealt with highlights and various challenges, such as a sequestration in 2013, the resulting reduction in combat readiness, and aircraft manufacturing delays. Focusing on the squadrons of the US Navy and Marine Corps, and illustrated with over 150 images, this book delves into the various carrier air wings, the aircraft, such as the F/A-18 and E2 variants, and the training that together make US Naval Aviation the force it is today. It describes the developments of the West Coast bases over the past decade, the successes the United States Navy has achieved, and the methods used to further standardize and optimize the fleet.

Read more less

The Dassault Super tendard, which became the Super tendard Modernis in due course, had a remarkable career. It was a humble aircraft that was often faced with thankless and difficult tasks. There was no excessive power in this aircraft, but simply a remarkable versatility that made it the backbone of French carrier aviation for 40 years. Solid, reliable, well-designed, and adaptable, the Super tendard was an aircraft that France regularly upgraded, enabling it to maintain its rank with increasingly sophisticated equipment and armaments. It gained notoriety for its role in anti-ship missions flown by Argentinian pilots, but paradoxically, France never used it in combat in this role. On the other hand, the aircraft was extensively used as a bomber in numerous wars, in a variety of places, including Lebanon, Syria, Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan. With over 160 images, this book looks at the history of the Super tendard and the impact it had on aviation.

Read more less

The end of the First World War brought with it the closure most of the military aerodromes in Scotland. It, however, retained its links with naval aviation with aircraft carriers frequently exercising off the coast. In the latter part of the decade Auxiliary Air Force squadrons were formed at Edinburgh and Glasgow manned by civilians. With the rise of the Nazis in Germany, the RAF responded by building new airfields or re-opening former First World War sites. They included armament practice camps at Evanton and West Freugh where pilots could practice their skills in bombing and firing their weapons. RAF flying boats also visited various coastal locations around Scotland in the years leading up to the War. The inter-war services also saw the development of scheduled airline services within the country. They were, however, not between major towns but linked remote islands with major towns of the mainland. An air ambulance service was also created to serve isolated communities. All of these developments are covered as well as private flying and gliding. There is also a section on aerodromes that were planned but never built.

Read more less

PLAYFUL GEMINI, MID-AIR, QUICK WIT, THAT SHARP TONGUE. FULL LIFE, TWICE OVER.Who are you going to fall in love with next? What job should you really be in? When are you finally going to come into that big money? Why does everyone freak out when Mercury is in retrograde?In our increasingly turbulent world, many of us are looking to the sky to find guidance in the ancient art of astrology. In Gemini, Stella Andromeda will tell you all you need to know about your astrological life as the water carrier. Learn how to harness the ancient power of the zodiac and open your mind to what the universe can offer in ways you never would have imagined. With advice that covers everything from self-care to sex, this little book is your key to a very starry future.Contents include: Get to Know Gemini: Lucky colour; Gemini careers; How Gemini communicates; The Gemini Deep Dive: Self-care; The Gemini home; Food and cooking; How Gemini wants to be loved; Give Me More: Your birth chart, The Moon effect; Saturn return.

Read more less

The story of the British Eastern Fleet, which operated in the Indian Ocean against Japan, has rarely been told. Although it was the largest fleet deployed by the Royal Navy prior to 1945 and played a vital part in the theatre it was sent to protect, it has no place in the popular consciousness of the naval history of the Second World War. So Charles Stephenson's deeply researched and absorbing narrative gives this forgotten fleet the recognition it deserves. British pre-war naval planning for the Far East is part of the story, as is the disastrous loss of the battleship Prince of Wales and battlecruiser Repulse in 1941, but the body of the book focuses on the new fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir James Somerville, and its operations against the Japanese navy and aircraft as well as Japanese and German submarines. Later in the war, once the fleet had been reinforced with an American aircraft carrier, it was strong enough to take more aggressive actions against the Japanese, and these are described in vivid detail. Charles Stephenson's authoritative study should appeal to readers who have a special interest in the war with Japan, in naval history more generally and Royal Navy in particular.

Read more less

For many decades a fascinating and sizeable archive of photographs, depicting the operations and equipment of British naval aviation, has remained unrecorded and largely unseen in countless documents held at the Public Record Office at Kew. Other equally important images of British naval aviation and the Fleet Air Arm can also be found in the collections of the world-famous Fleet Air Museum at RNAS Yeovilton. Together these two important collections cover a period from 1912, when British naval aviation was making its first tentative steps, through to the high-technology Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the 1990s. The Fleet Air Arm in Camera 1912–1996 brings a representative selection of these two collections to the notice of a wider audience. Many of the 240 photographs are published here for the first time and give the reader a fascinating kaleidoscope of images depicting the vast range of offensive, defensive, shore and carrier-based operations in which the FAA and its predecessors – the Naval Wing of the RFC and the Royal Naval Air Service – have been involved over a period of more than eighty years.

Read more less

This book teaches the aspiring crafter everything you would need to know about knitting in step-by-step projects. By the end of the book, you will have learned all the knitting stitches to follow patterns and make your own creations. Knitter extraordinaire Louise Walker’s mantra is ‘If you can knit, purl, increase and decrease, then you can make anything.’ In this book, she teaches you all the basic techniques you need to know to make the most exciting and achievable knits. Assuming that you’ve never held a needle before, the book introduces you the basics and teaches you new techniques as and when you need them, without overloading you with information. The best thing is that most of the projects use chunky and super chunky yarn, which means that the wool is easy to handle, you can see your stitches more easily and your project will grow quickly! Unlike other knitting books, First Time Knits has links to accessible online video tutorials. As you go through the book, there are also Louise's knitters who work on the same project as you. They tell you their knitting stories and compare their finished knits with you, helping you identify the common mistakes made, why they’ve made them and how to fix them. This knitting book is perfect for crafters who want to make something beautiful quickly, but are intimidated by most knitting patterns. Projects include: Animal phone cosy, bear cup warmer, tiger scarf, whale bottle carrier, turtle coaster, faux taxidermy, bobble hat, hot dog toy, rainbow raglan jumper.

Read more less

Current energy consumption mainly depends on fossil fuels that are limited and can cause environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. These factors have stimulated the search for alternate, clean, and renewable energy sources. Solar cells are some of the most promising clean and readily available energy sources. Plus, the successful utilization of solar energy can help reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. Recently, organic solar cells have gained extensive attention as a next-generation photovoltaic technology due to their light weight, mechanical flexibility, and solution-based cost-effective processing.Organic Solar Cells: Materials, Devices, Interfaces, and Modeling provides an in-depth understanding of the current state of the art of organic solar cell technology. Encompassing the full spectrum of organic solar cell materials, modeling and simulation, and device physics and engineering, this comprehensive text: Discusses active layer, interfacial, and transparent electrode materials Explains how to relate synthesis parameters to morphology of the photoactive layer using molecular dynamics simulations Offers insight into coupling morphology and interfaces with charge transport in organic solar cells Explores photoexcited carrier dynamics, defect states, interface engineering, and nanophase separation Covers inorganic–organic hybrids, tandem structure, and graphene-based polymer solar cells Organic Solar Cells: Materials, Devices, Interfaces, and Modeling makes an ideal reference for scientists and engineers as well as researchers and students entering the field from broad disciplines including chemistry, material science and engineering, physics, nanotechnology, nanoscience, and electrical engineering.

Read more less

Winner of the 2017 Outstanding Book Award for the Peace, War, and Social Conflict Section presented by the American Sociological Association Brings together the study of post-Holocaust family culture with the study of collective memory Over the last two decades, the cross-generational transmission of trauma has become an important area of research within both Holocaust studies and the more broad study of genocide. The overall findings of the research suggest that the Holocaust informs both the psychological and social development of the children of survivors who, like their parents, suffer from nightmares, guilt, fear, and sadness. The impact of social memory on the construction of survivor identities among succeeding generations has not yet been adequately explained. Moreover, the importance of gender to the intergenerational transmission of trauma has, for the most part, been overlooked. In The Holocaust across Generations, Janet Jacobs fills these significant gaps in the study of traumatic transference. The volume brings together the study of post-Holocaust family culture with the study of collective memory. Through an in-depth study of 75 children and grandchildren of survivors, the book examines the social mechanisms through which the trauma of the Holocaust is conveyed by survivors to succeeding generations. It explores the social structures—such as narratives, rituals, belief systems, and memorial sites—through which the collective memory of trauma is transmitted within families, examining the social relations of traumatic inheritance among children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Within this analytic framework, feminist theory and the importance of gender are brought to bear on the study of traumatic inheritance and the formation of trauma-based identities among Holocaust carrier groups.

Read more less

Winner of the 2017 Outstanding Book Award for the Peace, War, and Social Conflict Section presented by the American Sociological Association Brings together the study of post-Holocaust family culture with the study of collective memory Over the last two decades, the cross-generational transmission of trauma has become an important area of research within both Holocaust studies and the more broad study of genocide. The overall findings of the research suggest that the Holocaust informs both the psychological and social development of the children of survivors who, like their parents, suffer from nightmares, guilt, fear, and sadness. The impact of social memory on the construction of survivor identities among succeeding generations has not yet been adequately explained. Moreover, the importance of gender to the intergenerational transmission of trauma has, for the most part, been overlooked. In The Holocaust across Generations, Janet Jacobs fills these significant gaps in the study of traumatic transference. The volume brings together the study of post-Holocaust family culture with the study of collective memory. Through an in-depth study of 75 children and grandchildren of survivors, the book examines the social mechanisms through which the trauma of the Holocaust is conveyed by survivors to succeeding generations. It explores the social structures—such as narratives, rituals, belief systems, and memorial sites—through which the collective memory of trauma is transmitted within families, examining the social relations of traumatic inheritance among children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Within this analytic framework, feminist theory and the importance of gender are brought to bear on the study of traumatic inheritance and the formation of trauma-based identities among Holocaust carrier groups.

Read more less

In this original book on model predictive control (MPC) for power electronics, the focus is put on high-power applications with multilevel converters operating at switching frequencies well below 1 kHz, such as medium-voltage drives and modular multi-level converters. Consisting of two main parts, the first offers a detailed review of three-phase power electronics, electrical machines, carrier-based pulse width modulation, optimized pulse patterns, state-of-the art converter control methods and the principle of MPC. The second part is an in-depth treatment of MPC methods that fully exploit the performance potential of high-power converters. These control methods combine the fast control responses of deadbeat control with the optimal steady-state performance of optimized pulse patterns by resolving the antagonism between the two. MPC is expected to evolve into the control method of choice for power electronic systems operating at low pulse numbers with multiple coupled variables and tight operating constraints it. Model Predictive Control of High Power Converters and Industrial Drives will enable to reader to learn how to increase the power capability of the converter, lower the current distortions, reduce the filter size, achieve very fast transient responses and ensure the reliable operation within safe operating area constraints. Targeted at power electronic practitioners working on control-related aspects as well as control engineers, the material is intuitively accessible, and the mathematical formulations are augmented by illustrations, simple examples and a book companion website featuring animations. Readers benefit from a concise and comprehensive treatment of MPC for industrial power electronics, enabling them to understand, implement and advance the field of high-performance MPC schemes.

Read more less

Throughout history, infantry has been the main attacking force deployed by armies around the world, but positioning substantial infantry forces has always required precious time to assemble the troops to launch an attack or form defensive positions. Transportation of men and their equipment has been a major issue through the ages, and one that was only partly alleviated by the establishment of railway systems in the 19th century and motor vehicles in the early 20th century. With the development of the German Panzerwaffe, military planners realized both the enormous potential of the tank as a breakthrough weapon, but also the issues faced by support units following the attacking force – including the infantry. A tank assault moved rapidly forwards and this required a motorized infantry which could keep pace with the attack and provide all necessary support. This motorized infantry element for a Panzer division was an integral Schützenbrigade (rifle brigade), and it was equipped with a suitable means of transport – the Schützenpanzerwagen (armoured personnel carrier). During Operation Barbarossa, German forces were faced by the Red Army and unforeseen weather conditions. With the onset of the harsh Russian winter the operation failed, and the war in the east entered a new phase. From experience gained from the operation, a new arm of the military was created: the Panzergrenadier. This groundbreaking book describes the development and evolution of the armoured infantry force that accompanied the German Panzers as they crossed the battlefields of Europe, as well as detailing the vehicles and equipment that were developed to support their specialized role.

Read more less

What mental and physical distress do actors, camerapersons, and reporters experience when working on reenactments of traumatic moments in history? In Political Camerawork, D. Andy Rice theorizes that the intense feelings produced while creating these performed scenarios, called "simulation documentaries," connect difficult pasts to the present. Building on his background as a nonfiction film director, producer, editor, and cinematographer, Rice analyzes performance techniques to gain insight into the emotional toll of simulation documentaries, including those reliving the Vietnam War, the US military's embodied training in California during the Iraq War, and an annual quadruple lynching reenactment organized by Black civil rights activists in Georgia.Investigating the lasting impact of these productions, Political Camerawork reveals that, by performing a simulation of a traumatic event they didn't directly experience, those involved become carriers of the trauma.

Read more less

This thesis studies the congestion problem at the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer of the IEEE 802.11p system in highway scenarios using an analytical approach. Using the Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) protocol, the IEEE 802.11p system suffers from the hidden station problem. This thesis provides formal definitions for the hidden station condition and the hidden station problem and develops an analytical methodology for CSMA protocols to investigate the interaction between stations in mutual channel sensing range and hidden to each other. Analytical models are developed for broadcast communication using the generic CSMA protocol and the IEEE 802.11p MAC protocol with a one-dimensional (1-D) homogeneous network topology. Simulation studies prove the accuracy of the models in analyzing the reliability performance and the efficiency performance of CSMA broadcast communication with hidden stations.The performance of Cooperative Awareness Message (CAM

Read more less

Thought you couldn't train your cat and resolve troublesome cat behavior challenges? Yes, you can! Clicker training, combined with other friendly, positive behavior modification techniques can effectively solve cat behavior problems and train your cat in a way that will be quick and easy for you--and fun for your cat. Clicker training can also improve your cat's activity rate, attitude and, more importantly, strengthen the bonds between you and your cat. In this easy-to-read beginner's guide, Marilyn Krieger, a leading clicker-training expert, tells you how to teach your cat to: sit and stay and not dart out of doors; not scratch the furniture; have stress-free introductions to new cats; stay off the table and counters; get along better with you, your guests and other cats; have a stress free association with both the cat carrier and the trip to the veterinarian; do tricks and much more!

Read more less

A compelling visual guide to the history of the military!Travel through time and explore 5000 years of weaponry in stunning detail with this riveting military book - from the spears and swords of ancient times to the guns and grenades of modern warfare.This beautifully illustrated definitive military guide charts the evolution of battlefield technology. Here's what you'll find inside:- It includes objects taken from collections that are not available to the public or have never been photographed before- Features comprehensive catalogues of the key weapons, armour, equipment, and military technologies of each period, along with full specification details and information about special features- Includes stunning close-up "virtual tours" on subjects as diverse as a Roman fort, a medieval castle, a WWI trench system, a WWII tank, and a modern aircraft carrier, to name a few- Narrative spreads and timelines provide historical context for the emerging use of, or key shifts in certain technologies, explaining their impact on troops, tactics, and fortificationsThe Military History Book profiles key arms and armaments and conveys technologies and tactics across hundreds of pages of dramatic photography and accessible text. Find out how war is waged between battleships at sea, tanks on the battlefield, and fighter planes in the skies. Climb siege towers, drive chariots, enter medieval fortresses, fly unmanned drones, and detect stealth bombers.You will also experience virtual tours of iconic vehicles, including the T-34 Tank, the Lockheed F-117 Stealth Bomber, and the AH-64 Apache helicopter. Uncover military history from iconic battles, leaders and weapons of war that changed the course of history and shaped our modern world.This engrossing visual account of military history builds on the bestselling, international success of Weapon, Battle, Soldier, and War, and is an essential purchase for all military enthusiasts or anyone intrigued by the history of military warfare and weaponry.

Read more less

This title offers 25 practical ideas for hand-crafted leather projects that are easy to make at home. It includes accessible and original leather projects designed by some of today's leading artists. It demonstrates the versatility and beauty of leather in projects such as a picture frame and a leather chain belt. Techniques for 25 practical and desirable designs are shown in clear step-by-step photographs and diagrams. Templates are provided so that you can cut out pieces of leather accurately. It is suitable for all levels of leatherworker, from the novice to the more experienced: includes a comprehensive guide to all you need to know about materials and equipment and the basic skills of the craft. It features over 300 specially commissioned photographs with step-by-step sequences. Since the introduction of man-made materials the use of hand-worked leather has declined, but the art and craft of leatherwork is still popular and designs can easily be produced at home in a wide range of shades and finishes. This practical book offers several projects aimed at all levels of skill, including a child's sheepskin hat and vest, suede cushion covers, slippers, a personal organizer, a useful blanket carrier, a briefcase and a pair of sandals. An introduction to the basic techniques also outlines details of the essential materials and special tools and equipment that you will need, as well as ways of dyeing and finishing natural leather. Clear photographs of the finished projects will inspire you to try some of them out for yourself. A gallery of antique and contemporary pieces highlights the versatility and beauty of leather, and its use for everyday objects and clothing - as well as for more ornate and decorative pieces.

Read more less

A sweeping, revisionist historical analysis of telecommunications networks, from the dawn of the republic to the 21st century. Telecommunications networks are vast, intricate, hugely costly systems for exchanging messages and information-within cities and across continents. From the Post Office and the telegraph to today's internet, these networks have sown domestic division while also acting as sources of international power. In Crossed Wires, Dan Schiller, who has conducted archival research on US telecommunications for more than forty years, recovers the extraordinary social history of the major network systems of the United States. Drawing on arrays of archival documents and secondary sources, Schiller reveals that this history has been shaped by sharp social and political conflict and is embedded in the larger history of an expansionary US political economy. Schiller argues that networks have enabled US imperialism through a a recurrent "American system" of cross-border communications. Three other key findings wind through the book. First, business users of networks--more than carriers, and certainly more than residential users--have repeatedly determined how telecommunications systems have developed. Second, despite their current importance for virtually every sphere of social life, networks have been consecrated above all to aiding the circulation of commodities. Finally, although the preferences of executives and officials have broadly determined outcomes, these elites have repeatedly had to contend against the ideas and organizations of workers, social movement activists, and other reformers. This authoritative and comprehensive revisionist history of US telecommunications argues that not technology but a dominative--and contested--political economy drove the evolution of this critical industry.

Read more less

La philologie requiert autant de rigueur que d’ouverture d’esprit, deux qualités que Ghislaine Viré possède au plus haut degré et qu’elle a toujours conjuguées. Elle a en effet mené de front une double carrière, comme latiniste et comme didacticienne, dans un enrichissement réciproque des deux domaines. Car, pour Ghislaine Viré, la transmission ne concerne pas seulement les manuscrits d’auteurs latins, mais porte aussi sur l’enseignement des langues anciennes. Dans cette logique, les communications rassemblées en son honneur tentent l’exercice périlleux d’associer chaque fois différents points de vue: didacticiens, papyrologues, linguistes, historiens, hellénistes et latinistes, tous ont accepté de sortir de leur zone de confort intellectuel et d’élargir leur perspective pour présenter une recherche originale et diversifiée. Ce volume d’hommages s’articule en trois parties. La première se concentre sur l’éducation dans l’Antiquité; à travers l’analyse de supports d’apprentissage et l’étude des multiples aspects que revêt la relation entre pédagogie et philologie, cette partie aborde des thèmes qui vont d’Hésiode jusqu’à l’Antiquité tardive. La seconde partie concerne le présent; il s’agit de s’interroger, par le biais de diverses réflexions méthodologiques et études de cas, sur la manière dont il convient d’enseigner l’Antiquité dans le monde d’aujourd’hui. La troisième inscrit pédagogie et didactique des langues anciennes à l’intérieur d’un cadre humaniste qui se refuse à faire l’impasse sur les dimensions éthiques et sociétales de nos démarches.

Read more less

The year 1917 was dominated by the Russian Revolution and America entering the war. On 3 February, America cut diplomatic ties with Germany following the announcement on 31 January that Germany would begin unrestricted submarine warfare. All 111 U-boats were ordered to sink any vessel at will. The hope was that Britain would be starved into submission. America declared war on 6 April and US destroyers joined the fight against the U-boats while US battleships joined the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow. Losses to submarines were now so great that Britain was in danger of running out of food and the convoy system was brought into force. The impact was huge and German U-boat losses climbed rapidly. At Scapa Flow, on the evening of 9 July 1917, the battleship HMS Vanguard exploded. On 2 August 1917, Squadron Commander Edwin Dunning successfully landed a Sopwith Pup on board HMS Furious, becoming the first person to land an aircraft on a moving ship. The aircraft carrier had come of age. Meanwhile, in Petrograd the start of the Bolshevik Revolution was signaled when the cruiser Aurora fi red at the Winter Palace. Phil Carradice takes us through the First World War at sea in photographs, showing us the horror of war and telling the story of some of the key moments of the conflict.

Read more less

Steve Bond is back with the final volume in this popular series. Unlike his previous three tomes, with their focus on air/rotorcraft, this book is uniquely dedicated to the personnel of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) themselves. Each chapter will concentrate on the memories of contributors who served in a range of roles, including those below the flight deck. Accounts will focus on the everyday life upon an aircraft carrier as well as the extraordinary challenges faced during operations. There is a fascinating chapter covering exchange services with the RAF and other navies including the French and US; and also insight into the Indian navy’s experience with the Sea Hawk and Sea Harrier. Within the previous volumes, we met some remarkable characters and there is a chapter devoted to people’s memories of them. The closing section entitled ‘Thoughts’ sees contributors reflect on their FAA career with many deeply moving responses and discourses on the future of the service. The book is heavily illustrated throughout in colour and black and white with personal photographs from the contributors, artwork and tongue-in-cheek cartoons for which the FAA is famous. Volume Four is the perfect conclusion to the ongoing post-war story of a truly astounding branch of the armed forces.

Read more less

It was at Wounded Knee, huddled under a night sky lit by military flares and the searchlights of armored personnel carriers, that Vietnam vet Woody Kipp realized that he, as an American Indian, had become the enemy, the Viet Cong, to a country that he had defended at the risk of his life. With candor, bitter humor, and biting insight, this book tells the story of the long and tortuous trail that led Kipp from the Blackfeet Reservation of his birth to a terrible moment of reckoning on the plains of South Dakota. Kipp’s is a story of Native values and practices uneasily intersected by cowboy culture, teenage angst, and quintessentially American temptations and excesses. As a boy, Kipp was a passionate reader and basketball player, always ready to brawl and already struggling with discrimination and alcoholism in his teens. From his tour of duty in Vietnam as a Marine to his troubled return, from his hell-raising as a violent, womanizing, hard-drinking horse breaker to his consciousness-raising experiences as a college student and foot soldier in the American Indian Movement, Kipp’s memoir offers a unique, firsthand view of the enduring power—and the vulnerability—of Blackfeet culture, of the difficulties inherent in cross-cultural understanding, and of the urgent necessity of overcoming these difficulties if the essential heritage of Native America is to survive.

Read more less

The Royal Marines are renowned for their military skill and also for having one of the finest military bands in the world. These highly trained and talented musicians are equally at home parading at Buckingham Palace, playing at the Royal Albert Hall, or on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in a foreign port. Why then when the Argentines invaded the Falklands in April 1982 did these superb musicians get involved in what became a serious and deadly military campaign? The answer is that, in addition to their musical expertise, the RM Band Service members are trained for military service and fully qualified in a multitude of military and medical skills, providing support to their comrades, the fighting commandos. The Band That Went to War is a graphic first-hand account of the Falklands War as it has never been told before. It describes the roles played by Royal Marine musicians in the conflict; unloading the wounded from helicopters, moving tons of stores and ammunition, burying their dead at sea and guarding and repatriating Argentine prisoners of war. These and other unseen tasks were achieved while still ready to provide morale boosting music to their commando brethren and other frontline troops. These men are not just musicians; they are Royal Marines.

Read more less

‘Funny, delightfully inventive, and refuses to lie down in its genre’ ObserverThe Discworld is very much like our own – if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .___________________There is a curse. They say: may you live in interesting times.’May you live in interesting times’ is the worst thing one can wish on a citizen of Discworld, especially on the distinctly unmagical Rincewind, who has had far too much perilous excitement in his life and can’t even spell wizard. So when a request for a ;Great Wizzard; arrives in Ankh-Morpork via carrier albatross from the faraway Counterweight Continent, it's the endlessly unlucky Rincewind who's sent as emissary. The oldest (and most heavily fortified) empire on the Disc is in turmoil, and Chaos is building. And, for some incomprehensible reason, someone believes Rincewind will have a mythic role in the ensuing war and wholesale bloodletting. There are too many heroes already in the world, but there is only one Rincewind. And he owes it to the world to keep that one alive for as long as possible.____________________The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Interesting Times is the fifth book in the Wizards series.

Read more less

Welcome to the Big Book of Brick Trucks! This amazing children’s book features the biggest, most exciting trucks all in incredible LEGO form! Each truck has been constructed by hand using colourful LEGO bricks, and the photo illustrations are big and bright so young readers can see all of the details! For every big brick truck, there is also a helpful description of the truck’s purpose. Trucks included are: Fire truck Dump truck Cement mixer Tractor-trailer Car carrier Tow truck Monster truck Ice cream truck And seven more! From the creators of Brick Shakespeare, Brick Fairy Tales, Brick Dracula and Frankenstein, and Brick Greek Myths comes a wonderful children’s book of trucks and emergency vehicles built with the popular construction toy. For any little boy or girl who loves things that go vroom, and especially those who love their LEGO bricks, this book will be sure to impress!

Read more less

The Grumman-designed TBF Avenger was unquestionably the most successful torpedo bomber in the US fleet during WWII. Developed just prior to the US entry in WWII, the type made its combat debut at the Battle of Midway. Demand for the large carrier-borne aircraft, which could drop conventional bombs and depth charges in addition to torpedoes, soon outstripped Grumman's capacity. To supply the needed aircraft to the US Navy, the US Marines, and the Royal Navy, the Eastern Aircraft Division of General Motors was contracted to build duplicate aircraft, which were designated TBM. With numerous adaptations, both the TBF and TBM continued to serve militaries well after WWII. Through carefully researched photos, many of which have never before been published and which are reproduced in remarkable clarity, the history and details of this iconic aircraft are revealed and put the reader in the skies with this historic aircraft.

Read more less

Illustrated with detailed artworks of modern military aircraft and their markings with exhaustive captions and specifications, Technical Guide: Modern Military Aircraft is an extensively researched review of the military aircraft deployed by the world’s air forces in recent conflicts in the Balkans, the Caucasus, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and elsewhere. Organised alphabetically by manufacturer, this book includes every type of aircraft in use in the world today, from the F-22 Raptor through the Dassault Mirage 2000 to the MiG-29 and Su-33. The book includes multirole fighters, ground attack aircraft, high-level bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, carrier aircraft, and unmanned drones. The guide is illustrated with profile artworks, three-views, and special cutaway artworks of the more famous aircraft in service, such as the F-15E Strike Eagle, Sukhoi Su-27 and Eurofighter Typhoon. Illustrated with more than 110 artworks, Technical Guide: Modern Military Aircraft is an essential reference guide for modellers and enthusiasts with an interest in modern military aircraft.

Read more less

Eddie Rickenbacker epitomized the American spirit in the twentieth century. Daring, skilled, and rugged-moving fast and defying death-he drove race cars in the early days of the automobile, then flew canvas-over-wooden-frame aeroplanes in the Great War, downing twenty-six enemy flyers and emerging at war's end as the nation's ace of aces. Only Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing and the much-decorated Sgt. Alvin York emerged from that struggle as equally lauded American heroes. Failing as an automobile maker after the war, Rickenbacker returned to aviation, joined Eastern Airlines in 1934, and quickly reached the top of the corporate ladder. With the start of World War II, he took on special missions to theaters of combat, surviving twenty-one days adrift on a small rubber raft after his plane went down at sea. But the seemingly indestructible Eddie did not thrive well under the new competitive conditions in the postwar airline industry. Despite having built Eastern into a major carrier, he departed the company under pressure in 1963. W. David Lewis's biography of Rickenbacker reveals both the achievements and the vulnerability of this quintessential American hero. Rickenbacker embodied what was new, exciting, and romantic about the country in the postwar years. His poignant story also sheds light on the ephemerality of American success and the fragility of celebrity. Capturing Rickenbacker's life in rich and vivid detail, W. David Lewis has written the definitive biography of America's ace of aces.

Read more less

The topic of polymer surface modification is of tremendous contemporary interest because of its critical importance in many and varied technological applications where polymers are used. Currently there is brisk research activity in unraveling the mechanisms of surface modification and finding ways to prolong the life of surface treatment. Also there is acute interest and need to devise new, improved and economical means to modify polymer surfaces. This book is divided into three parts as follows: Part 1: Surface Modification Techniques; Part 2: Interfacial Aspects and Adhesion; Part 3: General Papers. The topics covered include : various techniques for surface modification including plasma (both vacuum and atmospheric pressure), ozone, photografting, UV photo-oxidation, laser, use of charged particles and others for a variety of polymers; longevity of surface treatment; hydrophobic recovery; fabrication of high-density polymer nano-dots; immobilization of organometallic catalysts on textile carrier materials; polymer membrane antifouling properties; electroless metallization of polymers; effects of surface modification on interfacial shear strength of composites, cord/rubber adhesion, adhesion of UV-curable coatings and attachment of hyperbranched polymers; plasma polymerization; block copolymers; application of plasma technology in decontamination of heat-sensitive polymer surfaces. In essence this book reflects the current state-of-the-knowledge in the arena and represents the work of many renowned scientists and technologists. It should be of interest to anyone with a desire or need to learn the latest R&D activity in this domain and the information contained here should be very valuable in deciding the optimum surface modification technique for his/her particular requirements.

Read more less

An essential overview of satellite communications from the organization that sets the international standards Since their introduction in the mid-1960s, satellite communications have grown from a futuristic experiment into an integral part of today's "wired world." Satellite communications are at the core of a global, automatically switched telephony network. Assembled by the International Telecommunication Union--the international organization that sets the standards for this rapidly growing industry--the Handbook on Satellite Communications, Third Edition brings together basic facts about satellite communications as related to the fixed-satellite service (FSS). It covers the main principles, technologies, and operation of equipment in a tutorial form. Updated to include the latest technologies and information, the Third Edition provides both the standards and technical information needed to implement and interact with satellite communication systems, including: * The components and basic characteristics of a satellite communication system * Regulatory considerations and system planning * SDH and ATM satellite transmissions * Analog and digital baseband signal processing and multiplexing * Carrier modulation techniques * Geostationary and non-geostationary systems * Interconnection of satellite and terrestrial networks * LEOS satellite networks and other recent developments As digital modulation and transmission replace analog techniques, and as satellites in non-geostationary and lower-altitude orbits open the way to new applications, satellite communications will continue to grow in use and importance. Everyone involved in the administration and operation of satellite communications will find this a crucial resource.

Read more less

Who knew just two fat quarters can be used in so many ways? Turn your left-over fabrics or stash of odd fat quarters into 16 beautiful bags! The projects inside range from accessory essentials like an evening clutch and cross-body handbag, to invaluable carriers such as a foldable shopper and lunch tote that will see you through your daily tasks. Start off with an easy-to-follow crash-course on the essential sewing techniques you'll need – from adding a zip to creating patch/slip pockets. Then, jump straight into the projects and get stitching! Each project includes inspiring photography, instructive hand-drawn illustrations and heaps of handy hints and tips from your favourite bag-sewing expert, Debbie von Grabler-Crozier. Ideal for sewists of all abilities, this is the ultimate, affordable, fat quarter-friendly project book that will get you making practical items straight away.

Read more less

Eddie Rickenbacker epitomized the American spirit in the twentieth century. Daring, skilled, and rugged-moving fast and defying death-he drove race cars in the early days of the automobile, then flew canvas-over-wooden-frame aeroplanes in the Great War, downing twenty-six enemy flyers and emerging at war's end as the nation's ace of aces. Only Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing and the much-decorated Sgt. Alvin York emerged from that struggle as equally lauded American heroes. Failing as an automobile maker after the war, Rickenbacker returned to aviation, joined Eastern Airlines in 1934, and quickly reached the top of the corporate ladder. With the start of World War II, he took on special missions to theaters of combat, surviving twenty-one days adrift on a small rubber raft after his plane went down at sea. But the seemingly indestructible Eddie did not thrive well under the new competitive conditions in the postwar airline industry. Despite having built Eastern into a major carrier, he departed the company under pressure in 1963. W. David Lewis's biography of Rickenbacker reveals both the achievements and the vulnerability of this quintessential American hero. Rickenbacker embodied what was new, exciting, and romantic about the country in the postwar years. His poignant story also sheds light on the ephemerality of American success and the fragility of celebrity. Capturing Rickenbacker's life in rich and vivid detail, W. David Lewis has written the definitive biography of America's ace of aces.

Read more less

Ask most combat veterans to name the worst experience of their lives, and they’ll probably tell you it was war. But confusingly, if you ask them to choose the best experience of their life, they’ll usually say it was war, too. This is nearly impossible for someone who has not been in war to understand. Contrary to the steady stream of Wounded Warrior Foundation commercials on TV, combat veterans are not broken, and they are not victims. Pitying them belittles their experiences and misrepresents the challenges they face after military life. Combat veterans have experienced a spectrum of emotions whose breadth supersedes by a number you cannot imagine the emotional fluctuations of civilian life. That’s why it’s hard to care about normal things when you come back. Ask a combat veteran about this, it’s a common feeling.What is it about war that soldiers miss? This is a question that every civilian should try to understand. This is a moving and insightful book, weaving stories from the flight deck of a U.S. aircraft carrier off Syria to climbing a forbidden Himalayan pass into Tibet to explain one of the most everlasting of human pursuits – war. It’s also about coming home and confronting another kind of struggle, which we all share – the search for happiness.In this collection, Peterson writes of war from the perspective of both a combatant and a witness, taking the reader from combat missions over Afghanistan as an Air Force special operations pilot to the front lines against ISIS in Iraq, and the trenches and tank battles of the war in Ukraine. Interweaving his front-line reports with a narrative about his own transformation from a combat pilot to a war journalist, Peterson explores a timeless paradox – why does coming home from war feel like such a disappointment?

Read more less

The subject matter of Goods in Transit is of increasing relevance as international trade and globalisation increase. The work gathers together and integrates in a unique, accessible and practical form many aspects of general commercial, shipping, contract, bailment, tort, property, agency and transport law in one place. Considers key areas of contract, bailment, tort, property, sale of goods and banking law as relevant to the movement of goods Deals with trans-national transportation rail, road, sea and air in the context of the various international transport conventions and multi-modal transport Analyses in detail the law of agency and the law of bailment in the context of carriage of goods and international trade law Examines the property elements in carriage of goods and international trade law Analyses the multifarious complex domestic and international statutory and contractual liability regimes applicable to carriers and other bailees Considers the various issues raised by outsourcing, logistics and project forwarding contracts The fifth edition covers number of key cases, including: Scipion Active Trading Fund v Vallis Group Ltd [2020] EWHC 1451 (Comm) Henshaw J Contractual and bailees estoppel Sevylor Shipping and Trading Corp v Altfadul Co for Foods, Fruits & Livestock (The Baltic Strait) [2018] EWHC 629 (Comm), [2018] 2 Lloyd's Rep 33 at [18]-[25] per Andrew Baker J: right of bill of lading holder suing on the bill of lading in contract to recover full damages Volcafe Ltd v Compania Sud Americana De Vapores SA (CSAV) [2018] UKSC 61 Bailment and the Hague and Hague-Visby Rules; the burden of proof, inherent vice and causation Alize 1954 v Allianz Elementar Versicherungs AG [2021] UKSC 51 Shipowner’s obligation to exercise due diligence to make a vessel seaworthy Dera Commercial Estate v Derya Inc [2018] EWHC 1673 (Comm) Carr J.

Read more less

A beautiful tale of endurance, identity, and memory in WWII Singapore, for fans of Min Jin Lee's Pachinko and Nguyen Phan Que Mai's The Mountains Sing Singapore, 1942. As Japanese troops sweep down Malaysia and into Singapore, a village is ransacked. Only three survivors remain, one of them a tiny child. In a neighbouring village, seventeen-year-old Wang Di is bundled into the back of a troop carrier and shipped off to a Japanese military rape camp. In the year 2000, her mind is still haunted by her experiences there, but she has long been silent about her memories of that time. It takes twelve-year-old Kevin, and the mumbled confession he overhears from his ailing grandmother, to set in motion a journey into the unknown to discover the truth. Weaving together two timelines and two life-changing secrets, How We Disappeared is an evocative, profoundly moving and utterly dazzling novel heralding the arrival of a new literary star. Shortlisted for the 2020 Singapore Literature Prize * Longlisted for the HWA Debut Crown 'A heartbreaking but hopeful story about memory, trauma and ultimately love.' New York Times

Read more less

This powerful study weaves the story of Freemasonry into the narrative of American religious history. Freighted with the mythical legacies of stonemasons' guilds and the Newtonian revolution, English Freemasonry arrived in colonial America with a vast array of cultural baggage, which was drawn on, added to, and transformed during its sojourn through American culture. David G Hackett argues that from the 1730s through the early twentieth century the religious worlds of an evolving American social order broadly appropriated the beliefs and initiatory practices of this all-male society. For much of American history, Freemasonry was both counter and complement to Protestant churches, as well as a forum for collective action among racial and ethnic groups outside the European American Protestant mainstream. Moreover, the cultural template of Freemasonry gave shape and content to the American public sphere." By including a group not usually seen as a carrier of religious beliefs and rituals, Hackett expands and complicates the terrain of American religious history by showing how Freemasonry has contributed to a broader understanding of the multiple influences that have shaped religion in American culture.

Read more less

Geometry can be found all around us. The Persistence of Geometry is an exploration of the visualization of geometry and geometrical forms through history with a special emphasis on modern and contemporary art. It is a highly personal visual journey that records not only the commonalities of human perception throughout the ages and in different cultures, but also the continuing dialogue of vanguard art from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries with traditional and historical art. The Persistence of Geometry provides an opportunity to understand forms and shapes as carriers of meaning that are both specific to a particular cultural context and universal in their immediate appeal. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, ceramics, textiles, utensils and furniture from historic and contemporary cultures worldwide illustrate how geometric structures and abstract visual vocabularies have communicated meaning throughout history. I n the modern era, these geometric forms have served as vehicles for revolutionary distillations of form and narrative and as the foundations for conceptual and social models of new societal values. Dr. Lowery Stokes Sims, President of The Studio Museum in Harlem, has curated over 40 exhibitions, many reflecting an interest in African American and women artists; written extensively on African, Latino, Native and Asian American artists; and taught art history, curatorship, and art criticism at Bard College and Queens College, among others.

Read more less

I address you across more than three thousand years, you who live at the conjunction of the Fish and the Water-carrier, speaks Daedalus, an artisan, inventor, and designer born into an utterly alien family of heroes who value acts of war above all else, a world where his fellow Greeks seem driven only to destroy-an existence he feels compelled to escape. In this fictional autobiography of the father of Icarus, "Apollo's creature," a brilliant but flawed man, writer and sculptor Michael Ayrton harnesses the tales of the past to mold a myth for our times. We learn of Daedalus's increasingly ambitious artifacts and inventions; his fascination with Minoan culture, commerce, and religion, and his efforts to adapt to them; how he comes to design the maze of the horned Minotaur; and how, when he decides that he must flee yet again, he builds two sets of wax wings-wings that will be instruments of his descent into the underworld, a place of both purgatory and rebirth. A compelling mix of history, fable, lore, and meditations on the enigma of art, The Maze Maker will ensnare classicists, artists, and all lovers of story in its convolutions of life and legend. "I never understood the pattern of my life," writes Daedalus, "so that I have blundered through it in a maze."

Read more less

This title charts the history of amphibious warfare in conflicts around the globe, from World War I to the present day. It features conventional personnel and cargo carriers, welldeck "dock ships", modern multi-function ships, ramped beaching craft and high-speed air-cushion craft. It explores the fascinating history of the five recognized categories of amphibious operation: assault, raids, demonstrations, feints and withdrawal. It includes detailed analyses of key naval operations in Gallipoli, Dieppe, the Pacific, Normandy, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, Vietnam, the Falklands and the Middle East. It includes over 220 archive photographs and a glossary explaining naval acronyms, abbreviations and terminology. Wars are decided definitively through the occupation of an enemy's territory - a task for military forces, which may have to be transported by sea. This authoritative volume covers the complete history of amphibious warfare vessels: the ships that travel from shore to shore, and the craft that move from ship to shore. Through the use of historical examples, it highlights the many activities necessary for a successful operation, from surveying and minesweeping to fire support, fighter direction and tri-service control. With over 220 photographs from museums and historical sources, the book provides enthusiasts with a lively guide to this fascinating subject.

Read more less

Sams Teach Yourself Samsung Galaxy Tab" in 10 Minutes offers straightforward, practical answers for fast results. By working through the 10-minute lessons, you'll learn everything you need to know to quickly and easily get up to speed on the Samsung GALAXY Tab. Step-by-step instructions walk you through the most common questions, issues, and tasks... "Did You Know?" tips offer insider advice and shortcuts... "Watch Out!" alerts help you avoid problems. Sams Teach Yourself Samsung Galaxy Tab" in 10 Minutes will provide beginner and experienced users with fast at a glance tips pointing out helpful shortcuts and solutions, cautions to help avoid common Samsung Galaxy Tab pitfalls, and is written in a clear easy to understand format. The Galaxy Tab offers the following features, all of which are covered in this book: " Integrated webcam " 3 megapixel camera " Built-in GPS " Expandable memory (up to 32GB) " Adobe Flash support " Android 2.2 operating system and the Android Market (for apps) " 3G support (carrier independent) and WiFi support Running the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, the Galaxy Tab provides the consumer access to over 80,000 apps in the Android Market, along with access to digital books (via Amazon.com, for example), including the ePub format.

Read more less

Military Vehicles is a wide-ranging guide to the world of military mobility in the twentieth century and beyond. In 300 detailed entries, it explores the combat, transport and utility vehicles that have supported military units from World War I to the present day. Categories include armoured personnel carriers, armoured cars, anti- aircraft vehicles, tank destroyers, trucks and transporters, amphibious vehicles, self- propelled artillery and more. From early iron-clad machines such as the German Büssing A5P and the Russian Garford-Putilow armoured cars to advanced machines such as the Italian MICV Dardo and the German LGS Fennek, Military Vehicles examines the development of these powerful weapons of war. Each vehicle featured is illustrated by a full-colour side-profile artwork. The service history and key features of the vehicle are explained, and a detailed specification table lists the country of origin, crew, weight, dimensions, armour, armament, powerplant and performance. The book also features an introductory history of the development of military vehicles from 1900 to the present and a full glossary of technical terms and abbreviations. Presented in a handy, pocket-book size, Military Vehicles is a colourful guide that will interest any enthusiast of military technology and modelling.

Read more less

William Gregory, "Greg," to all, was born into a sharecropper's life in the hills of northcentral Tennessee. From the back of a mule-drawn plow, Greg learned the value of resilience and the importance of living a determined life. Refusing to accept a life of continued poverty, Gregy sought and found a way out - a work-study college program that made it possible to leave farming behind him forever.While at college, Greg completed the Civilian Pilot Training Program and was subsequently accepted into the Army's pilot training program. Earning his wings in 1942, Greg became a P-38 combat pilot and served in North Africa during the summer of 1943 - a critical time when the Luftwaffe was still a potent threat, and America had begun the march northward from the Mediterranean into Europe proper.Following the war, Greg served with a B-29 unit, then transitioned to the new, red-hot B-47 strategic bomber. In his frequent deployments, he was always assigned the same target in the Soviet Union - Tblisi, Stalin's home town. While a B-47 pilot, Greg was selected to join America's first high-altitude program - the Black Knights. Flying RB-57D aircraft, Greg and his team flew peripheral "ferret" missions around the Soviet Union and its satellites, collecting critical order-of-battle data so desperately needed by the Air Force at that time. When that program neared its design end, and following the Gary Powers shoot-down over the Soviet Union, Greg was assigned to command of the CIA's U-2 unit at Edwards AFB. It was during that five-year command that Greg and his team provided critical overflight intelligence, including during the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam build-up. He found time to also become one of the first to fly U-2s off aircraft carriers in a demonstration project.Following his U-2 command, Greg attended the National War College, was assigned to the reconnaissance office at the Pentagon, and then was named Vice-Commandant of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). Greg retired from the Air Force in 1972.

Read more less

La bibliographie de Jacques Lerot impressionne. Par son volume - tout au long de sa carriere, il a ete un auteur fecond - , mais aussi par sa qualite - ainsi, son "Precis de linguistique generale" (Paris, editions de Minuit, 1993) - et par l'ouverture d'esprit qu'elle manifeste. A l'occasion de son depart a la retraite, vingt et un amis - collegues de Belgique ou de l'etranger, anciens etudiants ou doctorants - se sont reunis a l'instigation de Heinz Bouillon pour proposer 18 articles, ecrits en francais, allemand, neerlandais ou anglais, quatre langues que Jacques Lerot pratique assidument. Comme les horizons de Jacques sont larges, les sujets etudies sont multiculturels, abordant des regions aussi bien proches que lointaines comme le Burundi ou Madagascar. Ils illustrent aussi la multiplicite des diverses approches possibles dans l'etude des faits de langue, passant de la linguistique a la litterature sans oublier la didactique. Dans sa vision scientifique, Jacques Lerot a toujours soutenu que toute explication avait sa place si l'on distingue des niveaux multiples. Gageons qu'il trouvera pour chacune des contributions ici offertes une belle place dans son systeme de pensee a lui.

Read more less

As World War Two came to an end, another war began to sweep the globe. But instead of being fought by armies and aircraft carriers, the Cold War was waged by spies.The Cold War spanned five decades and saw the rise of the CIA and the explosion of the nuclear arms race as the US and USSR become embroiled in a battle of ideologies that threatened the entire globe. Over the course of the war billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives were devoted to espionage, the art and practice of spying, ensuring that the world would never be the same.Rife with suspense and intrigue and filled with facts that shine light on both the past and present, this timely work of narrative nonfiction explores the turbulent decades of the Cold War through the lens of the men and women who fought it behind closed doors, and helps explain the role secret and clandestine operations have played in America's history and its national security.

Read more less

The latest edition of Warship, the celebrated annual publication featuring the latest research on the history, development, and service of the world's warships. For over 45 years, Warship has been the leading annual resource on the design, development, and deployment of the world's combat ships. Featuring a broad range of articles from a select panel of distinguished international contributors, this latest volume combines original research, new book reviews, warship notes, an image gallery, and much more, maintaining the impressive standards of scholarship and research with which Warship has become synonymous. Detailed and accurate information is the keynote of all the articles, which are fully supported by plans, data tables, and stunning photographs. This year's Warship includes features on the secret battleship design that Mussolini's Fascist Italy sold to Stalin's USSR, the little-known German flak ships of World War II, the French aircraft carriers Clemenceau and Foch, and the development of electronic warfare in the Royal Navy.

Read more less

RINGSIDE FOR THE APOCALYPSE There he was in his sailboat in the middle of the Atlantic, all alone and loving it. Well, there was a US Navy carrier group on his southern horizon, but Richard Ashton was a Navy guy himself, so he didn't mind. Then came the UFOs, hurtling in from the Outer Black to overfly the carriers at Mach 17. Their impossible aerobatics were bad enough—but then they started shooting at each other. And at the Navy. With nukes. Little ones at first, but winding up with a 500 megatonner at 90 miles that fried every piece of electronics within line of sight. Ashton thought he was just a ringside observer to these now over-the-horizon events. But when a crippled alien lifeboat came drifting down and homed in on his sailboat, he suddenly found his hands full of an unconscious, critically wounded, and impossibly human alien warrior who also happened to be a gorgeous female. That's when things got interesting. About The Apocalypse Troll: “. . . a particular delight, offering nonstop action that's both well-executed and emotionally satisfying.” —Publishers Weekly “It's a rollicking fun tale that's impossible to put down.” —Philadelphia Weekly Press “. . . the best work [Weber] has done . . . the rewards are ample . . . recommended. . . .” —Starlog About David Weber: “[A] balanced mix of interstellar intrigue, counterespionage, and epic fleet action . . . with all the hard- and software details and tactical proficiency that Weber delivers like no one else; along with a large cast of well-developed, believable characters, giving each clash of fleets emotional weight.” —Booklist “[M]oves . . . as inexorably as the Star Kingdom’s Grand Fleet, commanded by series protagonist Honor Harrington. . . . Weber is the Tom Clancy of science fiction. . . . His fans will relish this latest installment. . . .” —Publishers Weekly “This entry is just as exciting as Weber’s initial offering. . . . The result is a fast-paced and action-packed story that follows [our characters] as they move from reaction to command of the situation. Weber builds Shadow of Freedom to an exciting and unexpected climax.” —The Galveston County Daily News “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection and a deep understanding of military bureaucracy in this long-awaited Honor Harrington novel. . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice to see Honor back in action.” —Publishers Weekly “This latest Honor Harrington novel brings the saga to another crucial turning point. . . . Readers may feel confident that they will be Honored many more times and enjoy it every time.” —Booklist “[E]verything you could want in a heroine. . . . Excellent . . . plenty of action.” —Science Fiction Age “Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!” —Anne McCaffrey “Compelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure.” —Locus “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection. . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice . . .” —Publishers Weekly

Read more less

Due to China’s strong dependence/reliance on its economic development but also due to its rising political ambitions with the aim to resume a central role in the regional and global affairs, it is vital for China to show some sort of military presence in its area of influence. Consequently, within the past decade, China’s military – in both strategic considerations and the modernisation of procedures and material as well – has undergone some of the most profound reforms since its establishment and the Chinese Navy and its Naval Air Arm play an ever more increasing role to achieve these goals.The 2016-released National ‘white paper’ has emphasized a greater focus on the seas and clearly stated that China’s has to establish itself as a major maritime power. Consequently, the PLN will shift its focus from 'offshore waters defence' to an 'open seas protection'. That means in parallel to the PLAAF’s modernisations, the changes for the PLN – and concerning the scope off the book the PLANAF – will be probably even more dramatic when the PLANAF creates a modern, capable 'Blue Water' force. In terms of modern systems, the PLNAF will steadily increase its naval capabilities by introducing more modern multirole-capable systems but most important by the establishment of an indigenous carrier force.Similar to the original /Modern Chinese Warplanes/and /Flashpoint China/ books, this uniquely compact yet comprehensive directory serves as a magnificently illustrated, in-depth analysis and directory of modern Chinese Naval Air Power.It is organised in four parts: the most important military aircraft and their weapons found in PLANAF service today; aircraft markings and serial number systems; the recent modernization efforts and structural reforms and orders of battle for the People's Liberation Naval Air Force.

Read more less