In 1818, the revolutionary government of Chile was poised to attack Peru, the last bastion of Spanish power on the continent. The new ruler, the half-Irish Bernardo O'Higgins, threw his energies into creating a navy. Short of local naval manpower, the Chileans looked to Britain and the United States for the sailors needed to man and command their squadrons, many of them unemployed veterans of the Royal Navy. And, to be the new navy's commander-in-chief, they recruited one of the most fearless and controversial officers of the age: Thomas, Lord Cochrane. The story of the naval war in the Pacific is an exciting one. Under Cochrane's audacious leadership, coasts were blockaded, fortresses stormed and ships seized in bloody hand-to-hand fighting. The result was that Chile and Peru gained their freedom from Spain, while Cochrane enhanced his reputation and made a fortune in pay and prize money. For one hundred and fifty years, the accepted story of the war has been based on Cochrane's own version of events. But how accurate is Cochrane's account? To find out, Brian Vale goes back to the original documents, despatches, diaries and newspapers. The result is a new and vivid account of the war in the Pacific and a reassessment of one of Britain's legendary naval heroes seen at the peak of his career.
Thousands of years after the war of the ancients, a single bastion of human life survives - The Vale. And at its core the magnificent city of Troi. Here the mana flows from the great power station, bringing light and life to all. It is a beacon of hope in a sick and dying world. But all is not as it appears. Even as the Order of High Mages seeks to cure the land, sinister forces move to gain absolute control over The Vale and its citizens. Drake Sharazi, disgraced Royal Guard turned bounty hunter, has been exiled from Troi to the surrounding provinces, where resources are limited and starvation is commonplace. It is in this squalor and poverty he believes he shall spend his remaining days. But after years of labor and suffering, he has been given the chance to go home; to return to the life he has longed for since the moment he left his beloved city. But he quickly discovers that the life he desires is built on a foundation of lies. Now he must choose between what is right and what is easy. But what is right could cost more than he is willing to pay. And to save his home, he might have to destroy it...and all he has ever loved.
Details Thomas Trotter's important contributions, as a naval surgeon and after, to the eradication of scurvy and typhus, to the study of addiction, and to improved health and safety in mines. Thomas Trotter, after studying medicine at Edinburgh, began his naval career as a surgeon's mate in 1779 and saw continuous service up to the peace of 1802, rising as a result of great abilities and the right patronage to become Physician to the Channel Fleet, and being present at the great battles of Dogger Bank in 1781 and the Glorious First of June in 1794. As Physician to the Channel Fleet, he was a major player in the conquest of scurvy and the control of typhus and smallpox in the navy. After the peace he settled in Newcastle where he produced pioneering work on alcoholism and neurosis, as a result of which he is regarded as one of the founders of the field of addiction studies. This book provides an intimate account of naval life in the great age of sail from the perspective of a surgeon, describing the impact of Enlightenment ideas and new medical techniques, and showing how improved health was a crucial factor in making possible the British fleet's great victories in this period. BRIAN VALE is a maritime historian, whose books include Independence or Death: British sailors and Brazilian Independence (Tauris 1996), A Frigate of King George, Life and Duty on a British Man-of-War (Tauris 2001) and The Audacious Admiral Cochrane (Conway 2004). GRIFFITH EDWARDS, Emeritus Professor at King's College, London, is one of the country's leading experts on addiction. His publications include Alchohol: the Ambiguous Molecule (Penguin 2000) and Matters of Substance (Penguin 2005).
In 1825 the Empire of Brazil went to war with the Republic of Argentina; the pretext was control of the north bank of the Plate, and consequently of the river itself. The conflict lasted for three years, the Argentinians dominating on land, the Brazilians at sea. As a compromise, the state of Uruguay was created as a buffer between the two. Providing a study of the naval war and its international repercussions, this book describes the struggle between Brazil, a maritime power with a huge navy and an extensive sea-borne commerce, and Argentina, which had tiny naval forces but a huge international trade carried mostly in British and American ships. It is the story of cat and mouse amid the shallows and fogs of the River Plate, as the Brazilian navy slowly strangled Argentinian trade in the face of audacious attacks by a small squadron led by the legendary William Brown; and of daring single-ship actions in the blue rollers of the Atlantic as swarms of Argentinian privateers took on both neutral vessels and Brazilian men-of-war. British and American trade were the major casualties of these tactics, and the book provides an account of the international diplomatic and naval actions which followed.
This book describes what life was really like on a wooden warship. The author examines recruitment, desertions, food, drink, disease, and death. He details operations in Brazil, Chile, and Peru from a military and a political angle, as well as from the perspective of ordinary seamen.
What was life really like on a wooden warship? This book takes a look at life aboard the 42-gun frigate HMS "Doris" - launched from Bombay in 1807 and finally retired at Valparaiso in 1829. Vale concentrates on her service on the South American station under Sir Thomas Hardy as she protected British interests during the stormy years of South American Independence. The author covers in vivid detail the operations in Brazil, Chile and Peru, both from the political and military angle and from the perspective of the sailors, to give a fascinating account of the everyday concerns and routines of life on shipboard."--Bloomsbury Publishing.
“We are not worth more, they are not worth less.” This is the mantra of S. Brian Willson and the theme that runs throughout his compelling psycho-historical memoir. Willson’s story begins in small-town, rural America, where he grew up as a “Commie-hating, baseball-loving Baptist,” moves through life-changing experiences in Viet Nam, Nicaragua and elsewhere, and culminates with his commitment to a localized, sustainable lifestyle. In telling his story, Willson provides numerous examples of the types of personal, risk-taking, nonviolent actions he and others have taken in attempts to educate and effect political change: tax refusal—which requires simplification of one’s lifestyle; fasting—done publicly in strategic political and/or therapeutic spiritual contexts; and obstruction tactics—strategically placing one’s body in the way of “business as usual.” It was such actions that thrust Brian Willson into the public eye in the mid-’80s, first as a participant in a high-profile, water-only “Veterans Fast for Life” against the Contra war being waged by his government in Nicaragua. Then, on a fateful day in September 1987, the world watched in horror as Willson was run over by a U.S. government munitions train during a nonviolent blocking action in which he expected to be removed from the tracks and arrested. Losing his legs only strengthened Willson’s identity with millions of unnamed victims of U.S. policy around the world. He provides details of his travels to countries in Latin America and the Middle East and bears witness to the harm done to poor people as well as to the environment by the steamroller of U.S. imperialism. These heart-rending accounts are offered side by side with inspirational stories of nonviolent struggle and the survival of resilient communities Willson’s expanding consciousness also uncovers injustices within his own country, including insights gained through his study and service within the U.S. criminal justice system and personal experiences addressing racial injustices. He discusses coming to terms with his identity as a Viet Nam veteran and the subsequent service he provides to others as director of a veterans outreach center in New England. He draws much inspiration from friends he encounters along the way as he finds himself continually drawn to the path leading to a simpler life that seeks to “do no harm.&rdquo Throughout his personal journey Willson struggles with the question, “Why was it so easy for me, a ’good’ man, to follow orders to travel 9,000 miles from home to participate in killing people who clearly were not a threat to me or any of my fellow citizens?” He eventually comes to the realization that the “American Way of Life” is AWOL from humanity, and that the only way to recover our humanity is by changing our consciousness, one individual at a time, while striving for collective cultural changes toward “less and local.” Thus, Willson offers up his personal story as a metaphorical map for anyone who feels the need to be liberated from the American Way of Life—a guidebook for anyone called by conscience to question continued obedience to vertical power structures while longing to reconnect with the human archetypes of cooperation, equity, mutual respect and empathy.
This book does not offer any miracles, although it does offer a better opportunity for someone to get results, for one who is prepared to get out of the victim role and take a positive step into seeing what they can do for themselves. By reading this book, you will realise the significance of continuous learning. And that’s how philosophy tries to discover the nature of truth and knowledge, to find what is of basic value and importance in life. This is about the relationships between humanity and nature and between the individual and the society.
This set presents statistics, tactics, and lore for an array of new monsters that prowl the Nentir Vale. In addition to a 128-page book of ready-to-play monsters and villains, this kit includes eight die-cut sheets of card stock monster and villain tokens and a double-sided battle map.
A comprehensive record of British and Irish Football during two World Wars, giving the date and result of every match played in each of the English, Scottish and Irish Leagues. All the county and regional cup competitions are also covered. Friendly matches, which for some clubs were a main part of their fixture list, are also given. The many Representative, international and military fixtures are also listed.
Building care encompasses everything from maintenance of a building to energy conservation and range of approaches, including the effects on design. A range of approaches to looking after buildings and their users is covered in this book. The rationale and conditions that support them (e.g. PPM - preventative planned maintenance; JIT - just in time) are explained, together with the commercial and environmental imperatives driving new approaches to building care.
More than sixty percent of today's email traffic is spam. In 2004 alone, five trillion spam messages clogged Internet users' in-boxes, costing society an estimated $10 billion in filtering software and lost productivity." "This expose explores the shadowy world of the people responsible for today's junk-email epidemic. Investigative journalist Brian McWilliams delivers a fascinating account of the cat-and-mouse game played by spam entrepreneurs in search of easy fortunes and anti-spam activists." "McWilliams chronicles the activities of several spam kings, including Davis Wolfgang Hawke, a notorious Jewish-born neo-Nazi leader. The book traces this 20-year-old neophyte's rise in the trade, where he became a major player in the lucrative penis pill market - a business that would eventually make him a millionaire and the target of lawsuits from AOL and others." "Spam Kings also tells the story of anti-spam cyber-vigilantes like Susan Gunn, a computer novice in California, whose outrage led her to join a group of anti-spam activists. Her volunteer sleuthing put her on a collision course with Hawke and other spammers, who sought revenge on their pursuers." "The book sheds light on the technical sleight-of-hand and sleazy business practices that spammers use - forged headers, open relays, harvesting tools, and bulletproof hosting - and warns of the ever-inventive spammers' development of new types of spam."--Jacket.
In the period that we now call the Industrial Revolution mining disasters wrecked the lives of thousands of South Yorkshire families and devastated entire communities. The Husker pit flooding of 1838 in which 26 young girls and boys were killed shocked Victorian society and and was a significant factor in the 1842 Report on Employment of Women and Children in Mines; but earlier, long forgotten disasters are also explored. The Barnsley area was particularly hard-hit during the middle decades of the century with major mining accidents, usually great explosions of firedamp occurring, for example, at Lundhill Colliery (189 men and boys killed); Oaks (361 fatalities, Britains worst pit disaster) and Swaithe Main (143 dead). Scenes of grief, mourning and remarkable heroism provided spectacular copy for Victorian newspapers and magazines such as The Illustrated London News, focusing on the very uncertain and dangerous life of the miner. Despite the importance and widespread occurrence of South Yorkshire mining disasters, which also included dreadful winding accidents and gas emissions, their story has never been told in a single volume.
I have often thought how wonderful it would have been if any of my grandparents, not to mention my great grandparents, had jotted down some of their thoughts, experiences and accumulated wisdom on paper for me to read, irrespective of how trivial or mind-blowing they may have been. I could have gleamed a glimpse as to who they were and how they thought, even though they died long before I was born in most cases. I really feel the void of not having known them. This book is an attempt to correct that omission and is written for the benefit of my kin still to come.
Brian Horton is one of the most respected managers in English football. As a player, manager and assistant, he took part in over 2,000 games - in Britain only Sir Alex Ferguson can claim more. Horton's career started in the World Cup summer of 1966 and ended over half a century later. His playing career began unceremoniously when Port Vale bought him from non-league Hednesford for the price of a pint of shandy. But later, as Brighton captain, he became a club legend, skippering the Seagulls from the Third to the First Division. He continued this success at Luton and Hull, before managing the Yorkshire side. Horton further distinguished himself as boss at Oxford and then Manchester City, keeping the Citizens in the Premier League for two thrilling seasons. Spells at Huddersfield, Brighton, Port Vale and Macclesfield followed before Brian was catapulted back to the Premier League at Hull City as assistant manager to Phil Brown. He continued to work with Brown at Preston, Southend and Swindon until his retirement in 2018.
Urthstripe the Strong, a wise old badger, leads the animals of the great fortress ofSalamandastron and Redwall Abbey against the weasel Ferahgo the Assassin and his corps ofvermin.
The Brumby Mare is an engaging collection of reminiscences about traditional Queensland stockmen and bush workers in the 1950s and 1960s, before the days of motorbikes and helicopters. Brian Taylor knows and loves his country and his stories ring with the authority of experience. Some of the incidents he describes are laugh-aloud funny, some heart-stopping and some very moving. He is a close, thoughtful and warm-hearted observer – of people, of wild and working animals and of the country that sustains them. The Brumby Mare is sure to evoke nostalgia in bush folk and for city readers it will bring the old world of the outback and stockman to life. A quintessential Australian bushman, Brian Taylor has spent most of his life on the land. Working as a drover, a stockman, a fencer, a shearer and a saddler, he has gathered a lifetime of stories over the years as he travelled way out past the Barcoo, along dusty plains and beside dry creek beds under the endless southern sky. Also available, together with The Moonlight Stallion, as the single volume A Swag Of Memories: Australian Bush Stories.
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