Here are some of the best of Churchill's letters of a more personal and intimate nature, presented in chronological order, with a preface to each letter explaining the context. The recipients include a vast range of people, including his schoolmaster, his American grandmother and former President Eisenhower. They are taken from within the Churchill Archive in Cambridge, where there is a mass of Churchill's correspondence, much of which is unpublished. Many of the letters included have never appeared in book form before. Winston Churchill has become an iconic figure greatly loved the world over, but maybe especially these days in the USA. Churchill understood the power of words and he used his writing to sustain and complement his political career, publishing over 40 books and receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. This volume concentrates on his more intimate words. It seeks to show the private man behind the public figure and introduce fresh light on Churchill's character and personality by capturing the drama, immediacy, storms, depressions, passions and challenges of Churchill's extraordinary career. Churchill was neither a god nor a demon. Through these letters we see him as a human being with human emotions, frailties and a large ego. He was not always right. He held strong opinions and was often provocative. These letters take us into his world and allow us to follow the changes in his motivations and beliefs as he navigates his 90 years. There are intimate letters to his parents, his teacher at Harrow, Louis de Souza (Boer Secretary of State for War), his wife Clementine, Prime Minister Asquith, Lord Northcliffe, Anthony Eden, President Roosevelt, Eamon De Valera, the French Socialist Prime Minister Leon Blum and Charles De Gaulle. These are all letters of a personal nature and are most illuminating. They are enhanced by facsimiles of the letters and images which appear throughout the book, helping the reader to envisage a sense of Churchill in his most private moments.

This volume explores the cross-linkages between the kinetic processes and macroscopic phenomena in the solar atmosphere, which are at the heart of our current understanding of the heating of the closed and open corona and the acceleration of the solar wind. The focus lies on novel data, on theoretical models that have observable consequences through remote sensing, and on near-solar and inner-heliosphere observations, such as anticipated by the upcoming Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe missions, which are currently developed by the international community. This volume is aimed at students and researchers active in solar physics and space science. Previously published in Space Science Reviews journal, Vol. 172, Nos. 1-4, 2012.

This volume covers different aspects of recent theoretical and observational work on magnetic reconnection, a fundamental plasma-physical process by which energy stored in magnetic field is converted, often explosively, into heat and kinetic energy. This collection of papers from the fields of solar and space physics, astrophysics, and laboratory plasma physics is especially timely in view of NASA's upcoming Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, which will use Earth's magetosphere as a laboratory to test, through in-situ measurement of the plasma, energetic particles, and electric and magnetic fields, the various and sometimes competing models and theories of magnetic reconnection. This volume is aimed at researchers in solar physics, magnetospheric physics and plasma physics. Previously published in Space Science Reviews journal, Vol. 160/1-4, 2011.

This volume explores the cross-linkages between the kinetic processes and macroscopic phenomena in the solar atmosphere, which are at the heart of our current understanding of the heating of the closed and open corona and the acceleration of the solar wind. The focus lies on novel data, on theoretical models that have observable consequences through remote sensing, and on near-solar and inner-heliosphere observations, such as anticipated by the upcoming Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe missions, which are currently developed by the international community. This volume is aimed at students and researchers active in solar physics and space science. Previously published in Space Science Reviews journal, Vol. 172, Nos. 1-4, 2012.

This volume covers different aspects of recent theoretical and observational work on magnetic reconnection, a fundamental plasma-physical process by which energy stored in magnetic field is converted, often explosively, into heat and kinetic energy. This collection of papers from the fields of solar and space physics, astrophysics, and laboratory plasma physics is especially timely in view of NASA's upcoming Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, which will use Earth's magetosphere as a laboratory to test, through in-situ measurement of the plasma, energetic particles, and electric and magnetic fields, the various and sometimes competing models and theories of magnetic reconnection.
This volume is aimed at researchers in solar physics, magnetospheric physics and plasma physics.
Previously published in Space Science Reviews journal, Vol. 160/1-4, 2011.

Bioengineering is the application of engineering principles to address challenges in the fields of biology and medicine encompassing the principles of engineering design to the full spectrum of living systems. In surgery, recent advances in minimal invasive surgery and robotics are the culmination of the work that both engineers and surgeons have achieved in the medical field through an exciting and challenging interface. This interface rests on the medical curiosity and engineering solutions that lead eventually to collaboration and development of new ideas and technologies. Most recently, innovation by surgeons has become a fundamental contribution to medical research in the surgical field, and it is through effective communication between surgeons and biomedical engineers and promoting collaborative initiatives that translational research is possible. Bioengineering for Surgery explores this interface between surgeons and engineers and how it leads to innovation processes, providing clinical results, fundraising and prestige for the academic institution. This book is designed to teach students how engineers can fit in with their intended environment and what type of materials and design considerations must be taken into account in regards to medical ideas.

Many hours have been spent re-working this plan from the antique original, sourced from Jonathon Potter Antique Maps in London. It is a fascinating plan that shows the heart of Birmingham just prior to the arrival of the first railway's that were to halt at Curzon Street Station just on the outskirts of the town towards the end of this decade. Another decade later the area at the heart of the town, known back then as the "Froggary", would undergo a massive change with the railways finally reaching the purpose built New Street Station. Around the edges all of the streets, roads, avenues and places of worthy interest are listed with a unique grid layout allowing each entry to be quickly located on the plan, making it an early contender to being a forerunner to the "A-Z". Part of the re-working in colour was the identification of key buildings that included the many pubs and taverns of the time; these are now illustrated in red, with Birmingham's canals standing out in pale blue almost circling the town. At the bottom of James Drake lists further fascinating information about Birmingham, this includes Post Office Regulations, Hackney Coach and Car Fares, Public Institutions, Stage Coaches, Inns and Wagon Warehouses. This plan looks stunning framed and has stimulated many discussions in respect of Birmingham's history. The 90 gsm "Progeo" paper was specially developed as a map paper. It has high opacity to help reduce show through and a cross grain giving it greater durability as the map is being folded.

Let me begin by pointing out that virtually all attitudes that we think of as being "ours" are derived from sources outside of one's self. While this may or may not be obvious, it sets the stage for what you will later read about making choices and exercising what we mistakenly call "free will." The intention of this book is to help raise people's consciousness regarding the copious deceptive and deceitful practices that occur in society by discussing their root causes, and then presenting some of the negative manifestations of those behaviors. We can not expect to advance society by allowing these antisocial actions to go unacknowledged and not dealt with. Also described are some of the ways in which we voluntarily become victims, whether they are derived from social interaction, religious indoctrination, the press, our government, or the ever present manipulation of consumers by big business. These are all areas in which we can benefit from having reasonable insights. Pogo: "I have met the enemy and it is me." While there are many adverse behaviors discussed herein, the most flagrant of them may come from politicians... virtually all of whom are indebted to the corrupting purse-strings of corporate America for their political livelihood (reelection funding). It is the officers and directors of the major institutions who manipulate this country with their legalized bribes and surreptitious illegal perks. And this corporate achievement is accomplished without a great deal of detection, fanfare, or concern for who may be in office at any given time. Have you noticed how often big business give money to both parties? This tolerated graft is why nothing much changes from one Administration or one Congress to the next. Big business owns both. Business owns government, and it will until we accept that reality and act to prevent it Many of the points that are made in this book may fall into the category of I already knew that. However, there should be more than a few ideas that will elicit an aha As you will discover, I take frequent issue with many counterfeit statements that emanate from our institutions, a feature that has been a function of their business-as-usual plans and the political landscape for uncounted decades. It is these persistent fountains of misinformation and disinformation that we should be aware of and deal with if we are to counteract the negative side of people's pursuit of power. Just don't imagine that you can label me un-American if you should happen to disagree with my contentions. Being a good citizen is not being inclined to accept all that the government may want of us. On balance, it is an entity that is made up of regular people who have their own prejudices and personal agendas, and we should not expect otherwise. Resistance to the evils that are inherent in bad government (the quest for power) is everyone's duty in order to promote a stronger, more just America. While many of the presented ideas represent logic and analysis on my part, others deal with an accretion of knowledge through the practice of skepticism. These are two essential mental processes that are underrated and underutilized by society. People who are not steeped in logic may not grasp the importance and elegance of using this technique in their daily lives. There are also those who may consider skeptics to be little more than malcontents, and choose to ignore their "rantings." Yet others may be so thoroughly indoctrinated in their belief systems that questioning of what they "know" to be true is unthinkable, and is therefore virtually impossible.

One of our least effective traits involves the capacity to deny reality. This allows us to be repetitively duped by circumstances or by the unscrupulous. Prayer fits the phenomenon because so many people believe in it without being able to demonstrate the slightest effectiveness. Has anyone ever done or even considered a statistical analysis of its success or failure rate, or heard of such a study? Of course not. This would be an affront to the faithful. In the event that providence has been favorable they claim their prayers have worked. Or perhaps they say it was a miracle, which would be God changing his mind about his grand plan. When an event remains negative, they say nothing, but none-the-less continue to believe in the fantasy. A miracle is a positive event for which we may not be able to derive a reason, but that does not mean that the event does not have a simple explanation if we were able to understand all of the circumstances

Backpacking is a type of international travelling wherein a backpack is used rather than suitcases or other types of luggage. This type of travel refers to either travelling from country to country in the different cities and places or nature trekking from country to country. In other words, the travel can either be city trekking or outdoor trekking as long as it involves the use of backpack and not booking in tour packages. Backpacking is actually the most popular means of international travel nowadays for several reasons.