Red Crew is a first-hand account of U.S. Coast Guard anti-smuggling operations during the early years of the nation's maritime war on drugs. Jim Howe describes his experience as the executive officer of a specialized drug-hunting crew that sailed in then-state-of-the-art ""surface effect ships,"" a small flotilla of high-speed vessels pressed into the drug war on short notice. In the early 1980s, South Florida and the Caribbean were awash in illicit drugs, with hundreds of smuggling organizations bringing huge loads of marijuana, and later cocaine, into the United States. To fight this epidemic, the Reagan administration led a massive effort to disrupt shore-side gangs while bolstering interdiction activity at sea. To increase the number of days at sea for each surface effect ship, a ""multi-crewing"" concept was employed, with four teams of sixteen sailors--the Red, Blue, Green, and Gold Crews--rotating among three hulls. Through its first-person narrative, Red Crew offers a rare glimpse into the day-to-day pressures, challenges, failures, and successes of Coast Guard cuttermen as they carried out complex and dangerous missions. Red Crew provides a unique historical view of the early days in the Coast Guard's war on drugs, and is the only book-length history of the diminutive, one-of-a-kind surface effect ship fleet.

Diane and I were swept away by a dream of foreign living thirty years ago, when I was merely middle-aged. Later, it happened again. We still live in both our dreams, but it hasn't been easy. This memoir targets the two travel destinations which caught us: Taormina in Sicily, with a few Italian side trips, and a small, mainly self-contained village on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. The double focus enriches each portrait, and enlarges our own. In our first year together, we laid the sweet fearful patina of romance over our autumn in Venice and our long winter in Taormina. We found that living with unfamiliar customs forced us to face ourselves more directly than at home. In this glow, we have been returning to Taormina for thirty years. The memoir describes this too: how the place feels after all this time -- its many-layered textures, its intricate network of personalities, its richness in beauty and history. It also describes life in the West Indian fishing village where for fifteen years we have been the only non-Tortolan landowners. Our house is on the main road in the middle of the village. Much of its daily activity swirls around us and catches us up in it. This Caribbean part of the book describes the textures of the village, its personalities, its beauty and history, all just as complex as those of Taormina. And also like Taormina, it requires a stranger to shift his attitude, to learn to take the village on its own terms. The rewards of this shift are the pleasure of self-discovery and the delight in touching our common humanity. Suddenly there are larger possibilities in ourselves than we had known.

There are many reasons why people play the game of golf. Some wish to play great while others hope only to become competent enough to not embarrass themselves. Yet regardless of their ability or intentions and time available most golfers seem to have the desire to experience that great golf shot or play a terrific round. Learning Golf's Essential Elements helps the golfer understand the process that it takes to learn to develop and increase physical ability, knowledge of the golf swing and game. It may be used by an individual, a group or as a class textbook. This book provides a systematic way of learning and understanding the game beginning with the golf swing. Physical limitations, time constraints and unrealistic expectations are just a few of the reasons discussed for golfers having difficulty realizing their goals. Drills and exercises are outlined and practice routines are developed. Throughout the book are stories of the author's experiences as he has learned and taught the game over the years. Many of the stories are humorous but all have a purpose in helping the reader understand the struggles of learning the game. Learning the golf swing, an essential element, is a major portion of the book. While the golf swing is important the game doesn't stop there. Putting, the short game, etiquette, rules and vocabulary are all included also included. Drills and routines are described for both putting and the short game. Etiquette may be the most important yet neglected component. No game can be played without rules and explanations of the most common rules are included. Necessary vocabulary is integrated throughout the book and is also a chapter itself. Whatever the motive for playingthe game the reader will benefit and enjoy Learning Golf's Essential Elements.