Reaching back to earliest times, Martin Ewans examines the historical evolution of one of today's most dangerous breeding grounds of global terrorism. After a succession of early dynasties and the emergence of an Afghan empire during the eighteenth century, the nineteenth and early twentieth century saw a fierce power struggle between Russia and Britain for supremacy in Afghanistan that was ended by the nation's proclamation of independence in 1919. A communist coup in the late 1970s overthrew the established regime and led to the invasion of Soviet troops in 1979. Roughly a decade later, the Soviet Union withdrew, condemning Afghanistan to a civil war that tore apart the nation's last remnants of religious, ethnic, and political unity. It was into this climate that the Taliban was born.Today, war-torn and economically destitute, Afghanistan faces unique challenges as it looks toward an uncertain future. Martin Ewans carefully weighs the lessons of history to provide a frank look at Afghanistan's prospects and the international resonances of the nation's immense task of total political and economic reconstruction.

    Joseph Sills Jr. Book AwardThis remarkable book synthesizes a lifetime of in-depth research into one of America’s most storied disasters, the defeat of Custer’s 7th Cavalry at the hands of the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians, as well as the complete annihilation of that part of the cavalry led by Custer himself.The author, Gordon Harper, spent countless hours on the battlefield itself as well as researching every iota of evidence of the fight from both sides, white and Indian. He was thus able to recreate every step of the battle as authoritatively as anyone could, dispelling myths and falsehoods along the way. Harper himself passed away in 2009, leaving behind nearly two million words of original research and writing. In this book his work has been condensed for the general public to observe his key findings and the crux of his narrative on the exact course of the battle.One of his first observations is that the fight took place along the Little Horn River—its junction with the Big Horn was several miles away so that the term for the battle, “Little Big Horn” has always been a misnomer. He precisely traces the mysterious activities of Benteen’s battalion on that fateful day, and why it could never come to Custer’s reinforcement. He describes Reno’s desperate fight in unprecedented depth, as well as how that unnerved officer benefited from the unexpected heroism of many of his men.Indian accounts, ever-present throughout this book, come to the fore especially during Custer’s part of the fight, because no white soldier survived it. However, analysis of the forensic evidence—tracking cartridges, bullets, etc., discovered on the battlefield—plus the locations of bodies assist in drawing an accurate scenario of how the final scene unfolded. It may indeed be clearer now than it was to the doomed 7th Cavalrymen at the time, who through the dust and smoke and Indians seeming to rise by hundreds from the ground, only gradually realized the extent of the disaster.Of additional interest is the narrative of the battlefield after the fight, when successive burial teams had to be dispatched for the gruesome task, because prior ones invariably did a poor job. Though author Gordon Harper is no longer with us, his daughter Tori Harper, along with author/historians Gordon Richard and Monte Akers, have done yeoman’s work in preserving his valuable research for the public.

    The Siddur marks the culmination of years of rabbinic scholarship, exemplifies Koren's tradition of textual accuracy and intuitive graphic design, and offers an illuminating translation, introduction and commentary by one of the world's leading Jewish thinkers, Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks. Halakhic guides to daily, Shabbat, and holiday prayers supplement the traditional text. Prayers for the State of Israel, its soldiers, and national holidays, for the American government, upon the birth of a daughter and more reinforce the Siddur's contemporary relevance. A special Canadian Edition is the first to include prayers for the Canadian government within the body of the text.

    I've written about TV for several years, and have always valued her opinion and insights on all things television." -- Amanda Cuda, Connecticut Post Author Nikki Stafford has established herself in the Lost fandom through her comprehensive episode analysis, which have helped thousands of viewers watch the show with a deeper understanding season after season. This final installment of the Finding Lost series ties together all of the pieces from season one to the end, showing the beginnings of each plot line and tracing its development throughout the series. This season six book includes analyses on the war between good and evil and how it's been epitomized in the black and white themes, and will provide possible explanations for many of the questions that have remained remain unanswered at the end of the series. The book will be filled with sidebars offering summaries for many of the show's ongoing mysteries, and chapters on the show's literary precursors, Stephen King's The Stand and Milton's Paradise Lost. Stafford takes an in-depth look at the alternate timeline offered in the show's final season and compare it to the original timeline that played out in the first five seasons. Including exclusive behind-the-scenes photos of the filming of the season six episodes on location in Hawaii, Finding Lost: Season 6 is the only book Lost fans will need when the screen goes dark (or light) one final time.

    How to Lose a War chronicles some of the most remarkable strategic catastrophes and doomed military adventures of overreaching invaders and clueless defenders—whether the failure was a result of poor planning, miscalculations, monumental ego, or failed intelligence . . . or just a really stupid idea to begin with.Alexander invades India—and ends up in deep vindaloo.Sacre bleu! The French are humiliated by Prussia in 1870.spain's "invincible navy" breaks up off the coast of britain while attempting an invasion.the mau mau rebellion against the british in kenya shows us how not to run an insurgency.Chiang Kai-Shek's pathetic army fails to keep Mao's Communists from grabbing China.

    You may think you know all about Zeus, Odin, and Gilgamesh and the other gods of myth and legend, but you'd be wrong! Mythological gods done Rifts style! Dimension spanning beings of inhuman nature and power, impostors, cyborgs, bio-wizards, the Atlas robot, the Gilgamesh clones, The Olympian Club, alien intelligences, interdimensional mercenaries, vampires, devouring monsters, gods of light, gods of darkness, demigods and supernatural fiends - all with a distinctly Rifts flavor.

    Imagine getting dinner on the table for your family in forty-five minutes or less. In this inspired and indispensable new cookbook, Paula Deen’s sons show you how to whip up 125 delicious Southern-style recipes quicker than you can say, “Come and get it!”The Deen brothers know a lot about cooking good food fast. They hosted the Food Network hit Road Tasted, appear regularly on Good Morning America, and are co-owners (with their mom) of Savannah’s famous The Lady & Sons Restaurant. Their fast-paced lifestyles require no-fuss meals without a lot of prep. Jamie’s a family man who’s got to work, serve supper, and still chase after his three-year-old son. Bobby, one of People magazine’s most eligible bachelors, appreciates a good meal before heading out to work at his restaurant or for a night on the town. They’re the perfect guys to write a guide to swift dishes that don’t stint on taste or Southern authenticity.This mouthwatering collection offers dishes that really deliver on flavor yet can be prepared within a budget. There are no hard-to-find ingredients or tricky techniques to follow, just the tasty, irresistible cooking that the Deens have come to be known for. For lunch, dinner, or late-night snacks, if you’ve got meat in mind, how about Speedy Mini-Meat Loaves with Baked Sweet Potato Wedges? If chicken’s your choice, Broiled Pesto Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes is a satisfying possibility. And if you’re really on the go, there are whole chapters devoted to simple grilling and crockpot cooking.Lighter fare includes Turkey and Black Bean Burgers with Corny Salsa and Jerk Shrimp Kebabs with Tomatoes, Onions, and Peppers, and main-course salads such as Jamie’s Nutty Orange Chicken Salad. If you have kids, they will love Yummy Orange Beef Fingers. In fact, in honor of Jamie’s son, there’s a whole chapter devoted to kids’ food called “Jack’s Favorites” (which might become your kids’ favorites too!). And what’s a meal without dessert? Jamie and Bobby offer their favorite temptations, ranging from Chocolate Peanut-Butter Malteds to Quick Blackberry Cream Pie.Seasoned with wonderful never-before-seen color photos of the entire Deen family and sprinkled liberally with Jamie’s and Bobby’s down-home charm, and including signature dishes from The Lady & Sons Restaurant, The Deen Bros. Take It Easy is a treat in itself for anyone with a full life and an empty stomach.

    Featuring beautiful illustrations from award-winning artist Kathleen Edwards, a variety of ways to celebrate the Wheel of the Year, and powerful wisdom from practicing Witches, this indispensible, on-the-go tool will make your days more magical.Find fresh ways to celebrate the sacred seasons and enhance your practice with inspiring sabbat musings by Thuri Calafia, tasty sabbat recipes by Monica Crosson, magic stones by Ember Grant, and Anglo-Saxon traditions by Alaric Albertsson. Also included are articles on fascinating topics, including the magic of language by Elizabeth Barrette, an energetic fence spell by Ellen Dugan, amulet pouches by Charlie Rainbow Wolf, and smile meditation by Robin Ivy Payton.At-a-glance guide to the best days to plant and harvest Wiccan holidays, sabbat musings, and tasty seasonal recipes for celebrating the Wheel of the Year Daily planetary and color correspondences to empower your magical work Moon lore and esbat rituals, plus Moon phases for successful spellcasting

    Days later, her brothers were arrested by the Feds and she was left alone with no way to support herself. Then Andre enters her life and tries to help her set things right. Although Queen is hesitant to trust anyone, she can't ignore his boss nigga status, impeccable swag and thug mentality. Soon he becomes everything she needs and teaches her the rules of the streets as well as the rules of the heart. With him by her side, Queen gets control of her father's empire but when jealousy rears its ugly head in the form of a childhood enemy of Queen's who has her eyes and affections set on Andre, things start to go very wrong. Tiffany has hated Queen since grade school when she first laid eyes on the pampered princess whose family was treated like hood royalty everywhere in Harlem. When she sees the relationship that Queen has with Andre, someone she had been sweating for months, she can't help but want to ruin everything Queen has going. And although she's nothing but a hoodrat, she has a sister in high places who could help her with her plans.Kelis is an NYPD officer in East Harlem with a secret of her own; her baby daddy is Trinidad, a notorious dopeboy in the same area she patrols. When she lands a promotion that puts her on a case, she is ecstatic until she realizes she may be hunting the man she loves. But Trinidad has another secret, which he shares with Kelis' ratchet sister, Tiffany.

    Why be a product junkie when you can use the most renowned natural ingredients (biodiversity's solution) to make your curls pop! These are tried and tested, proven to have worked with all curl types from 3c- bigger curls, through to 4c-smaller coils/ kinky hair. What I recommend is that you choose your preferred recipe for each of the 5 stages and use these consistently for 6 weeks and give us feedback on how your curls have been transformed. This time period is long enough to build moisture in your hair to its maximum hydration and achieve its ultimate curl factor. Feel free to come back to this page and comment on your results. Our unique book picks on the top recipes and covers all the key stages to achieve the most pronounced and luscious curls regardless of curl type, making this book for ALL curlies! The recipe chapters comprise: Step 1: Clarify Step 2: Condition Step 3: Style Step 4: Spritz Step 5: Detangle Oil Mixes (new addition) Enjoy all the tried and tested recipes, and choose the ones that best suit your hair. This is a very valuable handbook , a must have handbook for every curly girl across all ethnicities!

    Love Publications come together for five highly entertaining, emotional, and edifying love stories that are guaranteed to leave you wanting more! Authors included are: A. Marie Johnson ShanicexLola Chelsea Maria A. Jones Alexis Cñe Foreword by: B. Love

     After basic training these lads were sent directly into what was then called the battle for Stalingrad. What none of them knew then was that the average life expectancy of a new soldier in Stalingrad was 24-hours. Based on his words this story describes how this sailor-turned-soldier became one of Russia’s most revered sniper heroes. He became so infamous that Germany sent their own crack super-sniper to kill him. From Zaitsev’s sniper notebook we learn how he managed to stay alive and make some of his 242 confirmed kills. Zeitsev himself tells you exactly what his tricks and tactics of this deadly trade were that enabled him to be better than anyone else. Here’s this author’s description of what he said Stalingrad looked like when he first saw it as a greenhorn soldier: “The men were startled to see the city engulfed in flames. Zaitsev said it was like looking into the mouth of a spewing volcano while above this hellish cauldron layer after layer of German bombers including screaming Stuka dive bombers were feeding that fiery inferno. He could not even imagine that somewhere within that hell men were fighting a war… Vassili said that the city “looked like a smoldering and sulfurous hell, with burned-out buildings glowing like red coals, and fires consuming men and machines. Profiled against the glow of the fires were soldiers on the run. Were they theirs or ours? None of us could tell.” Better wear your asbestos gloves and flak jacket for this one because Vassili takes you right into the molten core of this blast furnace and tells you how he came out of it as the Soviet’s top ranking sniper hero of World War II

    No human being who stood on her decks that fateful night was alive to commemorate the event on its 100th anniversary. Their stories are with us, however, and the lessons remain. From the moment the world learned the Titanic had sunk, we wanted to know, who had survived? Those answers didn’t come until the evening of Thursday, April 18, 1912―when the Cunard liner Carpathia finally reached New York with the 706 survivors who had been recovered from Titanic’s lifeboats. Harold Bride, “Titanic’s surviving wireless operator,” relayed the story of the ship’s band. “The way the band kept playing was a noble thing. I heard it first while still we were working wireless when there was a ragtime tune for us. The last I saw of the band, when I was floating out in the sea with my lifebelt on, it was still on deck playing ‘Autumn.’ How they ever did it I cannot imagine.” There were stories of heroism―such as that of Edith Evans, who was waiting to board collapsible Lifeboat D, the last boat to leave Titanic, when she turned to Caroline Brown and said, “You go first. You have children waiting at home.” The sacrifice cost Evans her life, but as Mrs. Brown said later, “It was a heroic sacrifice, and as long as I live I shall hold her memory dear as my preserver, who preferred to die so that I might live.” There was mystery. There was bravery. There was suspense. There was cowardice. Most men who survived found themselves trying to explain how they survived when women and children had died. But mostly, there was loss. On her return to New York after picking up Titanic’s survivors, Carpathia had become known as a ship of widows. Rene Harris, who lost her husband, Broadway producer Henry Harris, in the disaster, later spoke of her loss when she said, “It was not a night to remember. It was a night to forget.” Drawing on a wealth of previously unpublished letters, memoirs, and diaries as well as interviews with survivors and family members, veteran author and writer Alan Rockwell brings to life the colorful voices and the harrowing experiences of many of those who lived to tell their story. More than 100 years after the RMS Titanic met its fatal end, the story of the tragic wreck continues to fascinate people worldwide. Though many survivors and their family members disappeared into obscurity or were hesitant to talk about what they went through, others were willing to share their experiences during the wreck and in its aftermath. This book recounts many of these first-hand accounts in graphic, compelling detail.

    Army as a two-tour helicopter pilot in Vietnam. It is a true-life story of a pilot who fought for freedom and often his very life. Vietnams Saga is also a story about the meaning of life. Standing back from his war experience, Stan reflects on his ever-present faith and how it carried him through this challenging period of his life. Originally written as a legacy to Stan Corvin’s family- something that will be passed down for many generations-Vietnam Saga is now an opportunity for you to share in the legacy and the personal recollections, memories, thoughts, fears and shed tears of a decorated and dedicated American military pilot. The book also contains numerous photos.

     Marley and Drexel had been dating for two years, and best friends for even longer. On paper they made sense, on paper they were the ideal goals, but in her heart, she knew they were never supposed to be. Drexel didn’t give her butterflies. He didn’t make her heart race. Her body flush with heat or her sex thump. No, he didn’t ignite her desire. He didn’t make her choose recklessness over common sense. Risk over safety. No one man could do that and do it so well. Well… Demetri Savant. The walking embodiment of pure unadulterated sex. The only man to make her abandon every bit of her morals. The only person to singlehandedly challenge the life she settled for. He was a risk she craved, but she was used to safety. Torn between her heart and hurting another, what will Marley choose? Better yet, who will she choose?