In most people's minds, ambulances are best avoided-we pull over to let them pass, perhaps briefly thanking the universe that the day's events have not necessitated our own swift passage to the ER, and then we go on with business as usual. But have you ever wondered, as that siren screeches by, what it would be like to work as a paramedic, when the most dire emergency is just another day at the office? In A Paramedic's Tales, Graeme Taylor reveals all-from the humorous to the horrific. Not knowing what's around the bend makes for a fast-paced adventure every time a paramedic goes on duty. Taylor, who worked as a paramedic for twenty-one years in Vancouver's Lower Mainland, the BC Interior and Victoria, shares true stories that are both gritty and uncensored, yet the compassion and courage of co-workers, patients, strangers-and people who had previously threatened to kill our narrator-shines through the gore. The author writes that as a paramedic, to stop from crying you have to keep laughing, and readers will find themselves doing the same. From the near-daily task of deciding whether to send someone to the ER or the drunk tank, to the occasional miracle, to the just plain ridiculous, readers will gain insight into everyday life in emergency medicine. With stories set across the province, from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to down the side of a cliff, these rollicking tales explain the perils of life before GPS, what to do if a drunk mob surrounds your ambulance, and how to drive like a paramedic.

The Synopsis There have been many books written about Jack the Ripper both Fictional and ones based on Fact. This book takes on the story with an unusual twist. It involves a man who stumbles onto a Portal, a gateway to the past, how does he react to such a situation, and how involved will he let himself get. Would that involvement change History and distort the timeline.? Peter Haines had such a dilemma, he was a retired Army Sergeant; his life was uneventful until the day he fell into a world he could never have imagined. A world that became an obsession, He found himself in a grim Era of English History, a sordid past shrouded in murder and terrible atrocities, it was a world he could not dismiss. The year was 1888 in London's Victorian Past. It was the time and place where the Ripper carried out his horrendous deeds. It led Peter into a series of circumstances beyond his control, circumstances impossible to imagine,it turned into a Nightmare.

A photographic essay that explores a wide spectrum of experiences told from the perspective of a diverse group of young people, ages 14-24, identifying as queer (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning), "Speaking OUT: Queer Youth in Focus" presents portraits without judgment or stereotype by eliminating environmental influence with a stark white backdrop. This backdrop acts as a blank canvas, where each subject's personal thoughts are handwritten onto the final photographic print. With more than 65 portraits photographed over a period of 10 years, the book provides rare insight into the passions, confusions, prejudices, joys, and sorrows felt by queer youth and gives a voice to an underserved group of people that are seldom heard and often silenced. The collaboration of image and first-person narrative serves to provide an outlet, show support, create dialogue, and help those who struggle.