They were college kids and young soldiers who wanted to fly, and they knew little about Vietnam other than what they read in the newspapers before going there. But Ia Drang, Kontum, Bong Son, Pleiku, Dak To, and dozens of other places soon became their trials by fire as they flew the grunts into and out of hot LZs and exposed themselves to some of the most intense combat of the war. Their mission was to fly into isolated jungle hilltops and muddy rice fields often without knowing what they'd face. Consequently, the crewmen who flew the helicopters and manned the door guns suffered some of the highest percentages of dead and wounded in the history of American warfare.
It is 1942 and the war has heightened the risks of shrimping. As coast watchers keep a lookout for German U-boats along the Louisiana shoreline and in the Gulf of Mexico, eighteen-year-old Rene Dugas works alongside his father on a shrimp trawler. Unfortunately, they are not only finding shrimp in the water, but also the bloated bodies of young mariners. Still, it seems Rene is more determined than ever to ignore his fathers misgivings and join the Navy. When his fathers boss warns Rene that his father will lose his job if he enlists, Rene sets aside his dream and marries. Although the love for his wife soothes him, it is impossible to ignore the war. Rene must obey nightly blackout laws, witness dead and wounded crewmen in the water, watch his friends become casualties, and worry about a possible German invasion. Desperate to do something, Rene joins a clandestine group organized by his fathers boss and a mysterious government agent. But it is only after he embarks on series of secret nighttime rendezvous, that he realizes he is immersed in something more dangerous than any of them ever planned. In this historical novel that explores longtime rumors, a young Louisiana shrimper unwittingly becomes involved in World War II espionage, ultimately transforming the course of his lifeand othersforever.
This comprehensive study, cosponsored by the Christian College Coalition, addresses questions faced by students in introductory literature courses. It examines literature as a form of human action and argues that the reading and writing of literary works provide vital ways for men and women to act as responsible agents in God's world. Building upon the doctrine of Creation, the authors show how the reading of literature helps us to be more effective interpreters of the stories and images we encounter daily. They demonstrate that great works of literature open up a realm of beauty and truth and help us gain an understanding of ourselves, God, and the world.
The field of military ethics has generally been attentive to emerging trends in modern warfare. Cyber, robotics and AI, for example, have inspired an abundant and flourishing literature. One trend, however, has been largely overlooked: the emergence of special operations as a prominent instrument of statecraft. Drawing extensively on historical cases and first-hand experience, the authors of this book call attention to qualities inherent in special operations - and special operators - that challenge the moral framework which has long informed conventional military operations. Moral theorists will find this analysis provocative, while practitioners - those who conduct or oversee special operations and have an interest in the moral wellbeing of special operators - can put the authors' insights to practical use. Those who simply view with fascination the opaque world of special operations will find this book illuminating.
A suspected terrorist is frisked for explosives on the Embankment. Operators do this so skilfully he remains completely unaware... In New Scotland Yard a new brand of manager fails to deal with escalating threats - 'aggressive indecision' is what Detective Chief Inspector John Kerr calls it... He discovers that cocaine-fuelled sex parties in Knightsbridge are pulling in businessmen, Russian diplomats and senior members of the British government... When Kerr's investigations are blocked by his bosses in Scotland Yard, he decides to go it alone and begins to expose a cover-up that extends to all levels of the British Establishment. Agent of the State is the first novel by Roger Pearce, a former Special Branch officer at New Scotland Yard who rose to become its Commander and a key player in Whitehall's intelligence network. It is an authentic account of the way the British intelligence services work at all levels and of the hypocrisy of the British establishment.
Steampunk is more than a fandom, a literary genre, or an aesthetic. It is a research methodology turning history inside out to search for alternatives to the progressive technological boosterism sold to us by Silicon Valley. This book turns to steampunk's quirky temporalities to embrace diverse genealogies of the digital humanities and to unite their methodologies with nineteenth-century literature and media archaeology. The result is nineteenth-century digital humanities, a retrofuturist approach in which readings of steampunk novels like William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's The Difference Engine and Ken Liu's The Grace of Kings collide with nineteenth-century technological histories like Charles Babbage's use of the difference engine to enhance worker productivity and Isabella Bird's spirit photography of alternate history China. Along the way, Steampunk and Nineteenth-Century Digital Humanities considers steampunk as a public form of digital humanities scholarship and activism, examining projects like Kinetic Steam Works's reconstruction of Henri Giffard's 1852 steam-powered airship, Jake von Slatt's use of James Wimshurst's 1880 designs to create an electric influence machine, and the queer steampunk activism of fans appearing at conventions around the globe. Steampunk as a digital humanities practice of repurposing reacts to the growing sense of multiple non-human temporalities mediating our human histories: microtemporal electricities flowing through our computer circuits, mechanical oscillations marking our work days, geological stratifications and cosmic drifts extending time into the millions and billions of years. Excavating the entangled, anachronistic layers of steampunk practice from video games like Bioshock Infinite to marine trash floating off the shore of Los Angeles and repurposed by media artist Claudio Garzón into steampunk submarines, Steampunk and Nineteenth-Century Digital Humanities uncovers the various technological temporalities and multicultural retrofutures illuminating many alternate histories of the digital humanities.
This accessible book explores the nature and importance of kinaesthesia, considering how action, agency and movement intertwine and are fundamental in feeling embodied in the world. Bringing together psychological, philosophical and cultural perspectives, the book examines the subjective feeling of movement in a cross-disciplinary manner. It discusses kinaesthesia through the framework of embodied cognition and outlines how contemporary discussion in psychology and phenomenology can inform our understanding of everyday experience. The book also sketches a framework for full appreciation of the sense of movement in performance and cultural life, discussing how a sense of movement is central to one’s agency. It is composed in four ‘movements’, aiming to achieve a connected and original argument for why movement matters, an argument exemplified in dance. The first movement explains the science of kinaesthesia and the history of the concept to a discussion of current thought informed by phenomenology and embodied cognition, the second quiet movement reflects on the psychological and philosophical dimensions of the sense of movement, the third movement turns to the culture of movement in dance and walking, and the fourth rests with the pleasures of movement, and emphasizes the social dimensions of movement in gesture and agency. This wide-ranging book is a must-read for all those interested in the psychology of movement, embodied cognition, performance studies and the interaction between psychology and dance. It will also be of interest to students and practitioners of embodied movement and dance practice therapies.
By showcasing international, European, and community-based projects, this volume explores how online technologies and collaborative and blended learning can be used to bolster social cohesion and increase students’ understanding of what it means to be a global citizen. With the pace of technology rapidly increasing, Blended and Online Learning for Global Citizenship draws timely attention to the global lessons being learned from the impact of these technologies on peace building, community development, and acceptance of difference. In-depth case studies showcasing successful projects in Europe, Northern Ireland, and Israel explore blended learning and illustrate how schools and educators have embraced online technologies to foster national and international links both within and beyond communities. This has, in turn, equipped students with experiences that have informed their attitudes to cultural and political conflicts, as well as racial, ethnic, and social diversity. Building on the authors’ previous work Online Learning and Community Cohesion (2013), this thought-provoking text will be of interest to researchers, academics, and postgraduate students in the fields of international and comparative education. Educators and school leaders concerned with how multiculturalism and technology play out in the classroom environment will also benefit from reading this text.
Probing the profitable new science of creating--and altering--life forms "Extraordinarily well documented . . . remarkably clear. This is the most comprehensive coverage of these issues to date. It will be required reading for some time." -- Lawrence Busch, Michigan State University "Krimsky and Wrubel not only describe the components of agricultural biotechnology, they address and analyze controversies involving the risks and benefits of new technologies. Coverage of technical to social components of agricultural biotechnology is unusually complete and thorough. Their even-handed and comprehensive approach to these topics is rare and extremely valuable." -- Richard Weinzierl, University of Illinois Modern agriculture is being transformed by the genetic alteration of seeds, animals, and microorganisms, a process that has produced such products as flavor saver tomatoes and crops resistant to specific insects or herbicides. Agricultural Biotechnology and the Environment is the first comprehensive overview of the ongoing transformation of agriculture, exploring the impact of genetic engineering from scientific, social, ethical, and ecological perspectives. Sheldon Krimsky and Roger Wrubel detail the impact the new generation of products is expected to have on agricultural practice and the environment and assess the degree to which current trends in biotechnology match earlier expectations. They also analyze the social and political response to innovations resulting from genetic technology. Closely examined in each of three areas--transgenic plants, genetically engineered microorganisms, and transgenic animals--are technical and scientific problems, social controversies, and anticipated environmental impacts. An objective, detailed look at a subject of interest to a broad spectrum of readers, Agricultural Biotechnology and the Environment will be of interest to researchers in the new biotechnology fields as well as to educated general readers and policymakers. A volume in the series The Environment and the Human Condition
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