When Louisiana seceded from the Union on January 26, 1861, no one doubted that a battle to control the Mississippi River was imminent. Throughout the war, the Federals pushed their way up the river. Every port and city seemed to fall against the force of the Union Navy. The capitol was forced to retreat from Baton Rouge to Shreveport. Many of the smaller towns, like Bayou Sara and Donaldsonville, were nearly shelled completely off the map. It was not until the Union reached Port Hudson that the Confederates had a fighting chance to keep control of the mighty Mississippi. They fought long and hard, under supplied and under manned, but ultimately the Union prevailed.

By popular demand, The Bruce Gavin trilogy is now a series. This fourth book is set in 2028. Jeb Bramble followed Bruce Gavin as President and he has just completed his two terms as President. The country has enjoyed 8 years without a foreign war and has no appetite for foreign involvement. The Iran and Israel conflict has escalated once again; this time to the ultimate crisis. Will the United States be willing to come to Israel's aid? The Republican Party is desperately seeking someone to follow Jeb against a formidable Democratic candidate with a family pedigree in US politics. Partisan politics is still the rule of the day. Can the Republicans find a leader that can garner support from both sides of the aisle? The country and the world are being forced to finally deal with the Autism epidemic. The rate of Autism is now one in every 50 births. The economic and societal impact is tremendous and being felt worldwide. Can a cure be found and at what cost? The journey continues and some of your favorite characters still have a role to play. Shalom to you

President Obama loses the 2012 election to the new Republican front runner, Bruce Gavin, the young Senator from Portland, Oregon. Campaign promises included reducing the National Debt dramatically and quickly before it bankrupts the country. (Review Comments) At the same time, the country is dealing with the moral issue of Gay Marriage. The Supreme Court is hearing arguments and close to a decision that may rock the country and even reach into the Presidency. (Review Comments) What will the President have to do to keep his promise of a return to fiscal sanity? Can he keep the Christian Right Wing of the Republican Party in check and avoid the label of a "RINO"? (Review Comments) With ALOHA , the authors take you beyond today's traditional thinking and set you up for a ride into the future. The interesting part of this fiction is that it could be reality within a few more years. Are you ready for it?

Intimate Expressions: An Orphan's Experience of Healing is a book about the path to survival and love. The book chronicles Dennis's bleak childhood as a ward of the state and his subsequent struggle to find a path of spiritual enlightenment and healing. Losing his parents at the age of four, Dennis is thrown into a world of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse in an orphanage. Growing up without the love of parents then hurled into a world indifferent to his sufferings, Dennis manages not only to survive but to help others along the way. Dennis shares his years of healing in a way that draws you in, touches your soul, and helps anyone on a similar journey of healing. At thirty-one, Dennis sought a new path to free himself from the nightmares and suicidal feelings that plagued his early life. For the next twenty years, he walked a new path that changed his behaviors, beliefs, and attitude about life, eventually emerging as a new person inside and out. This book will tug at your heartstrings and point you toward a life of love and happiness. Today Dennis continues to guide lost souls to find their own peace and wisdom.

GOODBYE is the third and final book of the Aloha trilogy. The series began with ALOHA and was followed by ADIOS. President Bruce Gavin is well into his second term as the 45th President of the United States. Over the course of his Presidency he has resolved many significant problems faced by the United States, yet as he looks to the future the challenges may be even greater. Al-Qaeda has not gone away and in many ways has grown even stronger. There is no question that they now have cells operating within the United States with the sole purpose to kill Americans and disrupt our way of life. The Supreme Court has set a date for final arguments on California's Proposition 8 appeal. Will a decision rendered only impact gay marriage in California or will it set the "Law of the Land"? There are still those in the country that won't accept the possibility of a "First Man" in the White House, but what options will they have if the Proposition is not upheld on appeal? Last, the President has been in opposition to the ongoing war in Afghanistan but it has continued and has taken a major toll on our soldiers and our society. Can it be stopped and at what cost? The Gavin Presidency comes to a close and the characters that have made this trilogy a thrill ride from the very beginning are saying, GOODBYE. Hang on to your hats the ride isn't over (I have a photo i would like uploaded for the back cover)

The prevalence of urinary tract diseases and disorders in small animal practice is higher than ever. The 2nd edition of Canine and Feline Nephrology and Urology makes it easy to find the information you need to accurately diagnose and manage diseases and disorders of the urinary tract in dogs and cats. Its concise outline format features practical clinical content, line drawings that clearly illustrate the initiation and progression of disease, photographs that demonstrate the clinical appearance of various lesions, and tables and boxes that offer essential information at a glance. Expert authors Dennis J. Chew, Stephen P. DiBartola, and Patricia Schenck keep you current with revised and brand-new content based upon the latest studies and evidence-based medicine, helping you prevent and most effectively manage kidney, bladder, and related conditions. Outline format with concise, clinically focused content helps you quickly and easily find the information you need to accurately diagnose and effectively manage urinary tract diseases and disorders. Practical clinical tips and guidelines including algorithms, FAQs, and case management recommendations. Special boxes highlight key information at a glance. Concise, need-to-know information about renal and lower urinary tract pathophysiology provides essential background for clinical application. Evidence-based coverage of hot topics such as the relationship between behavioral stressors and urinary tract disease, treatments for idiopathic cystitis, and dietary modifications for the prevention and treatment of urinary tract problems helps you provide the latest and best care for your patients.

Ciao is the fifth book of the Bruce Gavin series that started with "Aloha." This book is set in 2031. Rose Kennedy Schlossberg had earned the nickname "Iron Lady" and the respect of people all over the world. Her quest for a second term as President is about to begin. Her first real campaign. With Israel now the newest and 50th State it became clear to the administration that its inclusion brought with it a lot of unforeseen problems. At the top of the list is the problem with Palestine. For 50 years the Israelis and the Palestinians have fought over their homelands. Can the President solve this problem without alienating the Israelis, the Palestinians, or both? The 28th Amendment to the Constitution has been proposed to allow for the disbanding of the electoral college and the election of the President and Vice President by popular vote. Ratification by the states seems assured. While seemingly a non-issue, the amendment also allows for the NIP (National Initiative Plan) where voters can petition for actual laws that will be passed by popular vote and bypass a stagnant Congress. What kind of challenges might this bring? To make matters worse, the woman who was the "mole" that provided information to the Iranians on the readiness of Israel's nuclear capability, has disappeared. Where will she turn up and what effect will she have? Combine all of this with the fact that Rose Kennedy Schlossberg is single and lonely. Even Presidents are in need of love and companionship. Yet, when in such a position of power, can you trust someone enough to give yourself? We hope you enjoy this continuing saga and CIAO

"Righteous Reflections" is a collection of 78 poems and one short story. Topics include love and relationships, alcohol and the nightlife, and the joys of being a parent and grandparent.

The history of soccer in the United States is far richer and more complex than many people realize. Leagues competed in the U.S. as far back as the late 1800s, and in 1919 Bethlehem Steel became the first American professional soccer team to play in Europe when they toured Sweden. Multiple leagues existed during the early 1900s, but after the American Soccer Association folded in 1933, the country did not see a rebirth of professional soccer until 1967. It was a painful, hostile revival that saw dueling groups of American sports entrepreneurs fracture into two separate professional leagues, The United Soccer Association (USA) and the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). The Rebirth of Professional Soccer in America: The Strange Days of the United Soccer Association tells the story of this largely forgotten chapter in the sport's history. The USA and NPSL were ragged, misshapen pieces of a puzzle that refused to fit together, two leagues competing directly for fans and revenue. While the USA was a league sanctioned by FIFA but absent from the nation's airwaves, the NPSL was considered an "outlaw" league by FIFA but it held an exclusive television contract with CBS. This would have been strange enough, but the USA league imported entire teams from Great Britain, Italy, and South America, including Stoke City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cagliari Calcio, and Bangu. This book recounts soccer riots in Yankee Stadium, teams with dual identities, World Cup winners on the pitch, and a cast of characters featuring the likes of Phil Woosnam, Lamar Hunt, Derek Dougan, and Gordon Banks. Drawing on meticulous research and interviews, this book reveals the little-known story that unfolded on the field, in the boardroom, and across the country during this single strange season of professional soccer. Featuring an impressive group of global soccer legends, this book delivers a fascinating piece of soccer history for the growing legions of American soccer supporters, as well as for soccer fans around the world.

Based on original Stasi and Communist Party archival sources, this text uncovers why East Germany was for two decades running one of the most successful nations in the Summer and Winter Olympics, and explores how the central elite sports system was beset by internal tensions and disputes.

Sayonara is the last book, in the second trilogy, of the Aloha Series. The series begins in 1950 with Aloha and concludes in 2036 with Sayonara. The characters are the heart of the series. Through their eyes, opinions and actions the audience is taken through a series of themes and plot points drawn from today's headlines. Sayonara introduces a few new characters and continues with many of the popular ones that have surfaced during the past five books. In 2011, the great earthquake and tsunami hit Japan with a force as powerful as any natural disaster recorded in history. How is it possible that this natural event could lead to a nuclear war? The first woman President of the United States, Rose Kennedy Schlossberg, continues to govern with unparalleled popularity, but like all powerful leaders she is not without her enemies. President Schlossberg is also a single woman with significant feelings for a special man in her life. Can the President have a personal life while holding the most powerful position in the world and can she avoid the enemy that would give anything to see her dead? As usual, North Korea is the wild card in the state of world affairs. The succession of power in the country is of concern to all world powers. Will the son of the current Supreme Leader assume power and shake the world order with the threat of using a nuclear weapon? All of this combines to make Sayonara a thrill filled political ride that concludes this amazing series. If you have not read them in order, you should. They are Aloha, Adios, Goodbye, Shalom, Ciao and Sayonara. Available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

In this issue of Clinics in Plastic Surgery, guest editors Drs. Dennis J. Hurwitz, Armando A. Davila, and Dani Kruchevsky bring their considerable expertise to the topic of Body Contouring. Top experts cover key topics such as preparing patients for body contouring surgery and surveillance for DVT; UAL liposuction and lipografting; refining lipoabdominoplasty with high-definition liposuction; management of the musculoaperonosis in abdominoplasty; interplay of oblique flankplasty with vertical medial thighplasty; and more. Contains 15 relevant, practice-oriented topics including planning and performing total body contouring after massive weight loss; lipoplasty in the overweight patient; the role of non-invasive and minimally invasive techniques in open surgical interventions for the purpose of body contouring; emerging approaches to breast reshaping in the massive weight loss patient; secondary body contouring surgery; and more. Provides in-depth clinical reviews on body contouring, offering actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information on this timely, focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create clinically significant, topic-based reviews.