This book is a collection of true short stories and anecdotes that happened to me over the course of my life. As a college student at the University of Alabama, I witnessed turbulent times during the historical "Civil Rights Era."

My professional career as a geologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers involved ten years on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, as well as interesting assignments in foreign countries.

This book should appeal to geologists, "baby boomers," and anyone interested in true stories about growing up in the '50s, college life in the '60s, and years of adventures as a "wayward" geologist.

John Craig Shaw

Brent admired the chimpanzee he sketched at the zoo. He regarded the animal as contemplative. He was unaware that similar animals in the wilds of Africa were the source of a virus that would lead to his death from AIDS. Brent became infected with HIV from the medicine he infused to treat his hemophilia. At six months of age, his parents were alarmed when they discovered bruises on his chest which led to the discovery of hemophilia. From that moment forward, he received frequent intravenous infusions of concentrate to treat recurrent bleeding episodes. Infusions of the medicine relieved pain and suffering from bleeding. His life seemed normal. Unexpectedly, Brent's life changed after the discovery of HIV contamination of the medicine. The medicine was manufactured from the plasma of paid blood donors. Unbeknownst to Brent, the plasma was polluted with HIV. The SIV in chimpanzees changed to become HIV in humans. But the chimpanzees were not the cause of the transfer of SIV in animals to HIV in humans. The change from SIV in animals to HIV in humans was the result of human activity. The change came about with the production of the hepatitis B vaccine. Who was responsible for the pollution of the hemophilia medicine with HIV and hepatitis viruses? Was Brent's death preventable?

Uncle Tungsten radiates all the delight and wonder of a boy's adventures, and is an unforgettable portrait of an extraordinary young mind. Oliver Sacks evokes, with warmth and wit, his upbringing in wartime England. He tells of the large science-steeped family who fostered his early fascination with chemistry. There follow his years at boarding school where, though unhappy, he developed the intellectual curiosity that would shape his later life. And we hear of his return to London, an emotionally bereft ten-year-old who found solace in his passion for learning. 'If you did not think that gallium and iridium could move you, this superb book will change your mind' - The Times

When American explorers crossed the Texas Panhandle, they dubbed it part of the ""Great American Desert."" A ""sea of grass,"" the llano appeared empty, flat, and barely habitable. Contemporary developments - cell phone towers, oil rigs, and wind turbines - have only added to this stereotype. Yet in this lyrical ecomemoir, Shelley Armitage charts a unique rediscovery of the largely unknown land, a journey at once deeply personal and far-reaching in its exploration of the connections between memory, spirit, and place. Armitage begins her narrative with the intention to walk the llano from her family farm thirty meandering miles along the Middle Alamosa Creek to the Canadian River. Along the way, she seeks the connection between her father and one of the area's first settlers, Ysabel Gurule, who built his dugout on the banks of the Canadian. Armitage, who grew up nearby in the small town of Vega, finds this act of walking inseparable from the act of listening and writing. ""What does the land say to us?"" she asks as she witnesses human alterations to the landscape - perhaps most catastrophic the continued drainage of the land's most precious resource, the Ogallala Aquifer. Yet the llano's wonders persist: dynamic mesas and canyons, vast flora and fauna, diverse wildlife, rich histories. Armitage recovers the voices of ancient, Native, and Hispano peoples, their stories interwoven with her own: her father's legacy, her mother's decline, a brother's love. The llano holds not only the beauty of ecological surprises but a renewed realization of kinship in a world ever changing. Reminiscent of the work of Terry Tempest Williams and John McPhee, Walking the Llano is both a celebration of an oft-overlooked region and a soaring testimony to the power of the landscape to draw us into greater understanding of ourselves and others by experiencing a deeper connection with the places we inhabit.

"I found it (the story) at first sad and tragic, all the more to be uplifted by its outcome. What better ever proof of a miracle, of the value of family support, of the power of faith, of the hand of God, of the unpredictability of life. All in all it's a wonderful piece to read. What's more, you make readers care, because the woman (Jane Williams) and her family, including the convincing and articulate narrator, Dr. Henry, become real people in readers' minds, people they know well enough to worry about, to cheer for. I came to feel, thanks to Dr. Joel Hilaire's sharp and rich writing, that I was one of those people, close to the family, involved in every down-and-up event. To my mind you achieved exactly what you were after with this extensive true-to-life story."--Lou Fisher, from Long Ridge Writers Group

Author Dr. Nelly Maseda often wonders how she became successful, but her brothers didn't. She wonders how she survived a childhood raised by a single Dominican mother on public assistance who suffered from severe mood swings, rage, promiscuous sexual behavior, and cycles of depression. While Maseda pursued her degree at Cornell University, her brothers and cousins entered into a world of substance abuse and its related criminal activities and violence.

In Strangers in the Night, Maseda looks inside the dynamics of a family and describes the life of her mother, Nena-her early years in the Dominican Republic, immigration to the United States in 1959, her new life in New York City, and raising her children against the backdrop of rage, depression, and a questionable home life. She also shares the trajectory of her two brothers' lives to show that lessons can be learned from their experiences.

Maseda tells her mother's story from the perspective of her profession as a pediatrician to communicate to patients and others that we now live in a time where help exists to undo the damage that negative, early life experiences can do to minds and lives.

Jada Patrice Howard captures the ups and downs of her life in "Through These Eyes," the second volume of her memoir. This heartfelt, personal tale recalls her journey through the life experiences she has had in recent years.

She recounts her joy at finally being chosen to attend a live taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago. Follow her as she prepares for the trip of a lifetime, traveling from Washington, DC, to Chicago to attend the show; share her delight as she has the time of her life at Oprah's show.

She also shares tales of her work as a school bus driver, her brief move to North Carolina to help family members, and her attendance of Dr. Dorothy Height's funeral.

"Through These Eyes" explores the nature of people and their relationships and relates experiences of happiness, sadness, joy, and pain-life experiences that we can learn from.

Thomas Addison, a physician from the North of England, was acutely ill, and he knew it. The profession of medicine had been his life. Students and patients flocked to Guy's Hospital in London because he taught and worked there. He had no rival in Britain during the early Victorian era.

Addison taught his students that most people resisted new ideas even when society benefitted from them and that people were unwilling to admit the merits of a great discovery. This would prove to be true particularly in the case of his own discoveries. Addison weathered five years of scorching criticism from his peers when he discovered that the adrenal glands were essential to life and that diseased adrenal glands could darken a white person's skin to mulatto hues. In the end, he experienced an unshakable depression that ultimately led to suicide.

Medical science subsequently validated Addison's ingenious discoveries, which led other investigators to isolate and identify epinephrine, the adrenocortical steroids, and even vitamin B12.

In this biography, author Margaret R. O'Leary, MD, presents Addison's life story, considering his reception during his lifetime and recognizing his profound contributions to modern medicine.

The controversial Emanuel Revici, M.D., made the bones grow back in cancer patients, and restored health to AIDS patients as well as drug addicts and alcoholics. His medicines lifted debilitating migraines in as little as 3 minutes. Revici's reward? He was attacked and ostracized by the best. JAMA published false reports about his work. The American Cancer Society blasted him time and again. Meanwhile, word of mouth brought new patients to see him for decades. The smears didn't work, so something more needed to be done. This is the true story of the greatest medical scientist who has ever lived. Find out what happened to Dr. Revici and find out how you can use the principles of his discoveries to reverse even advanced cancers and many other illnesses. The final chapter provides current contact information for the Revici Clinic.

The F. A. N. Ys-first anywhere
The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry was a female organisation formed in 1907. Its aim was not only to provide competent first aid on the battlefield put also to train its members to effectively operate and live independently and be able to transport the wounded to field hospitals. So F. A. N. Y nurses were skilled drivers or horsewomen and were often more than usually skilled in outdoor pursuits-such as camping-something that differentiated them from normal nursing staff. When the First World War began the organisation immediately volunteered itself for service on the continent, but was initially rebuffed by the British military establishment who, in the spirit of the times, believed a woman's place was at home and not at war. However, the Belgian and French authorities welcomed them with enthusiasm and the F. A. N. Ys became essential to allied servicemen both as medical carers and as ambulance drivers. Before long the resourceful women of the organisation, as well as providing their first aid and ambulance services, were running hospitals, soup kitchens and canteens and couriering food and clothing to the front lines. By 1915 the British army command came to recognise the value of these indomitable woman and began to work more closely with the organisation and by 1916 F. A. N. Ys were working in the field as mechanics. Old prejudices had been broken down as a matter of necessity and there can be little doubt that the activities of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry-and similar women's organisations-them did much to erode prejudices and contribute towards the cause of women's suffrage. This special Leonaur edition, released to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, combines two remarkable books for reader interest and good value. Each contains a first hand account by a F. A. N. Y serving on the Western Front, and both illustrate not only the incredible work these women did under the most dangerous circumstances, but also provide testimony to the resolution and courage of those who would change the status of women in western society forever.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

When Melissa's gynecologist recommends she get a test specifically for women with a history of cancer in their families, she agrees. With seventeen immediate family members having had the disease, she knows she might not be happy with the results. But nothing can prepare Melissa for the outcome: She tests eighty-seven percent positive for breast cancer and forty-four percent positive for ovarian cancer, both by the age of forty. She faces a twenty percent chance of the cancer recurring in less than four years if she opts for chemotherapy and radiation. Those aren't good odds, and Melissa makes a brave decision: She has both breasts removed and goes through the process of breast reconstruction. In "Perky Mutant, " she shares how she made tough decisions, how surgeries affected her body, and what helped her get through the recovery process. She also includes week-by-week progressive photos to help other women going through the breast reconstruction process. With a cast of characters by her side that includes her husband, "Studly," Melissa somehow maintains her humor, wit, and hope. An inspirational story, "Perky Mutant" will help patients, their friends and family members learn, cope and laugh.

Alzheimer's hijacked their plans, required their full attention, and forced them to change their daily habits-their very lives-in order to accommodate its merciless, unrelenting demands. In "My Mom Inez," author Bob Miller shares the story of his family's life against the backdrop of Alzheimer's disease.

In this deeply personal and powerful account, Miller tells of his role as an only son who unexpectedly found himself in the position of having to care for his beloved mother, Inez, once it became clear she had been stricken with Alzheimer's disease. In this memoir, he narrates his struggles to understand what was happening and how he then coped with the emotional, medical, social, and economic issues her condition brings to their lives.

With the family's history interwoven, My Mom Inez demonstrates the strength of the human spirit as Miller remains dedicated to providing the same loving care for his mother that she delivered to him throughout his life.

This book reiterates the need for all stake holders involved in transfusion service delivery in Africa; from patients to the transfusion scientist, requesting clinicians, blood collection staff and distribution staff to work collaboratively to demonstrate judicious, world-class stewardship and use of the precious gifts of human blood as well as help people understand the limitations of blood supply. It is designed to emphasize the evidenced -based best practices in transfusion medicine in the developed world to enable countries in Africa optimise their transfusion service delivery to their patients.