Debauched, divorced and courting death, Billy Ray Schafer is a comedian who has forgotten how to laugh. Over the course of seven spun-out days across the American Southwest, he travels from from hell gig to hell gig in search of a reason to keep living in this bleak and violent glimpse into the psyche of a thoroughly ruined man. Ex-inmate, ex-husband, ex-father - comedian is the only title Schafer has left. Trapped in the wreckage of his wasted career, Billy Ray knows the answer to the question: what happens when the opportunity doesn't come - or worse - it comes and goes?
This historical study offers “a new understanding of the human cost of the [Republic of Texas’s] vainglorious attempt to attack Mexico” (Western Historical Quarterly). The Somervell and Mier Expeditions of 1842, culminating in the famous "black bean episode" in which Texas prisoners drew white or black beans to determine who would be executed by their Mexican captors, still capture the public imagination in Texas. But were the Texans really martyrs in a glorious cause, or undisciplined soldiers defying their own government? How did the Mier Expedition affect the border disputes between the Texas Republic and Mexico? What role did Texas President Sam Houston play? In Soldiers of Misfortune, Sam W. Haynes addresses this and other important historical questions. Expertly researched yet accessible and engaging, Haynes’s narrative includes many dramatic excerpts from the diaries and letters of expedition participants./DIV
Advances in Thermal Spraying contains the proceedings of the Eleventh International Thermal Spraying Conference held in Montreal, Canada, on September 8-12, 1986. The papers explore technological advances in thermal spraying and the related field of surfacing by welding. This book is comprised of 97 chapters divided into 16 sections and begins with a discussion on the applications of thermal spraying in the power generation industry, with emphasis on the use of thermal coatings to protect boilers against corrosion. The following chapters focus on thermal spraying as applied to low-pressure processes; carbide coatings; properties of coatings such as aluminum bronze coatings; and control and automation of the thermal spraying process. The reader is then introduced to ceramic powders and coatings used in thermal spraying; quality assurance of plasma spray powders; and applications of thermal-sprayed coatings to protect against corrosion and wear. The remaining sections consider arc spraying; post-deposition treatment of plasma-sprayed coatings; and miscellaneous applications of thermal spraying, including insulation of diesel engine combustion chambers. This monograph will be of value to materials scientists, metallurgists, mechanical engineers, and those in fields ranging from physics to corrosion science and metallography.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.