Louis, Missouri, is now a ghostly landscape of vacant houses, boarded-up storefronts, and abandoned factories. The Gateway City is, by any measure, one of the most depopulated, deindustrialized, and deeply segregated examples of American urban decay. Not a typical city, as one observer noted in the late 1970s, but, like a Eugene O'Neill play, it shows a general condition in a stark and dramatic form.Mapping Decline examines the causes and consequences of St. Louis's urban crisis. It traces the complicity of private real estate restrictions, local planning and zoning, and federal housing policies in the white flight of people and wealth from the central city. And it traces the inadequacy--and often sheer folly--of a generation of urban renewal, in which even programs and resources aimed at eradicating blight in the city ended up encouraging flight to the suburbs. The urban crisis, as this study of St. Louis makes clear, is not just a consequence of economic and demographic change; it is also the most profound political failure of our recent history.Mapping Decline is the first history of a modern American city to combine extensive local archival research with the latest geographic information system (GIS) digital mapping techniques. More than 75 full-color maps--rendered from census data, archival sources, case law, and local planning and property records--illustrate, in often stark and dramatic ways, the still-unfolding political history of our neglected cities.

     Additionally, as a lady-in-waiting, Countess Buxhoeveden attended on the Empress for much of the reign of Tsar Nicholas II, only leaving her side when the Imperial Family was removed to Tobolsk after the Tsar’s abdication in 1917. Thereafter, she followed the Empress to Tobolsk, and then to Ekaterinburg, where the entire Imperial Family, some of the Court suite and some of their servants met their deaths on July 17, 1918. The portrait the Countess paints of the Empress is of a warm, shy, kind and generous woman, devoted to Russia, her husband and her children, deeply charitable in word and deed, and a committed friend and mistress, but ill-starred, physically sick, maligned, misunderstood and much plotted against. The character descriptions in this book also include those for Tsar Nicholas, each of the children – OTMA and the Tsarevitch – Grand Duchess Ella (the Empress’ sister), Ania Vyrubova (the Empress’ most intimate friend), Rasputin and Kerensky (the Head of the Provisional Government that took power after the abdication of the Tsar and before the ascendancy of the Bolsheviks). The narrative also describes in detail the daily domestic life of the Imperial Family, and each of their trips to other parts of Russia and abroad in peace and war. It is rare for the author of any authorized biography to know her subject so familiarly and for so long, and to have been a first-hand witness to almost everything that happened for much of her life, and it is this that makes ‘The Tragic Empress’ such an intriguing and compelling book.

    HE STOLE THEIR SUBMARINE.The accident changed everything… One moment, Lieutenant Jake Slate was going about his duties aboard the ballistic missile submarine, USS Colorado. The next second, he was sprawled on the deck plates in a spreading puddle of blood and hydraulic fluid. But it wasn’t the injury that ruined his life and doomed his military career. It was the rescue effort.Now he’s being thrown to the wolves to cover up the misdeeds of a superior officer, and Jake doesn’t care for the role of sacrificial lamb.Blinded by rage and unsure of his future, he finds himself at the center of a treacherous plot to hijack the Colorado and sell her nuclear warheads to a foreign power. Jake no longer knows who he can trust. He doesn’t know what the future holds. He really only knows one thing. He will have his revenge.Book 1 of the Rogue Submarine Series... Rogue Avenger (2005), Rogue Betrayer (2007), Rogue Crusader (2010), Rogue Defender (2013), Rogue Enforcer (2014), Rogue Fortress (2015), Rogue Goliath (2015), and Rogue Hunter (2016).This novel is part of the Rogue Submarine fiction series, launched in 2005 by John Monteith, a former military officer and naval warfare instructor. Beginning with Rogue Avenger, the books are titled in alphabetical order for ease of reference. Although the stories are best read in sequence, each installation is written for enjoyment as a standalone adventure.

    Now forced to set out on the Appalachian Trail with only her backpack, two guns and a turkey carving knife. Will it be enough for one woman alone in the wilds?On a mission to find safety and a place to survive, Beth finds others in an unlikely trio struggling to find a new life. A young girl, mute with eyes blue as glass, a convict with a rage against evil, and a dog left abandoned by the merciless virus. But… There are others on the trail. And they have more sinister motives. They're on a mission, too - to take whatever they can from whomever they find. They won't give up the chase until they get what they want.And they want everything."

    His skills sharpened in the midst of a brutal African civil war, he was at once a policeman, soldier and detective – a tracker of men. He thought he’d left that life behind him, but then he learns that his particular expertise is required again. Two teenage girls have been abducted and are being held to ransom, hidden deep within the Zimbabwean bush that was once his hunting ground. The mother of one of the girls begs him to help and, unable to walk away, Max returns to Africa with a handpicked team of former comrades-in-arms. But it soon becomes clear that nothing is quite what it seems and that if he is able to find the girls, it might only open the door to something far more sinister… SOMEWHERE OUT THERE is perfect for fans of books like A Time To Die, The Leopard Hunts in The Darkness and The Dogs of War, or of movies like The Wild Geese, The Dirty Dozen or The Expendables. *** SOMEWHERE OUT THERE is the first book Mike Lunnon-Wood wrote but has never previously been published. Mike passed away in 2008 and the manuscript was only discovered by his son Piers some years later along with two other unpublished thrillers which will be published shortly. Mike is the author of six other outstanding thrillers available from Silvertail Books: Let Not The Deep, King’s Shilling, Congo Blue, Long Reach, Dark Rose and Angel Seven. ***

    Child abductions are being reported throughout Peru, and when an American boy is snatched in Lima, FBI agent Adam Palma is assigned to the case.At the home of a manic artist who was the sole survivor of similar kidnappings in 1962, Adam is shown a disturbing mural depicting the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. In the painting, the conquistador's face looks exactly like his own. Adam teams up with Nina, and with the help of a mysterious boy named Quiso, their investigation takes them deep into the Amazon jungle in search for a lost city of the Incas, where the ancient sacrificial rituals may still be alive. As Quiso leads Nina and Adam close to the city and its secrets, Adam realizes that the only way to save the kidnapped children is to make the past repeat itself. Adam, like his distant ancestor Pizarro, must square off against an Inca high priest.

    As they invent new social structures, Neuwirth argues, squatters are at the forefront of the worldwide movement to develop new visions of what constitutes property and community.Visit Robert Neuwirth's blog at: http: //squatterci ty.blogspot.com

    And he shares them with brutal honesty in this very book, along with plenty of hilarious (and sometimes painful) anecdotes about his career.This is not a book that will tell you how to format a manuscript or write a compelling query letter. It's a book about how to cope with rejection and bad reviews. Book signings where nobody shows up. Helplessly watching your peers go on to greater success than you. He's been through all of that and so much more, and in these pages you'll have a bunch of laughs as you commiserate and figure out how to get through it all.

    Despite so much personal loss in the national tragedy that was The Station Fire, Gina Russo offers readers an emotional story of hope and triumph that will amaze and inspire.

    She uses that frightening personal experience to encourage listeners to stand well back from the line that separates the Lord’s territory from Lucifer’s. Plus, in a special bonus second talk, she reflects on the good that resides in the sisters of the Church. Includes bonus talk, "If We Build It, They Will Come."

    The text provides a thorough, how-to explanation of each of the steps of the design process--from initial contact with the client to a completed master plan. The text's numerous illustrations and useful case study examples offer a rich learning experience for students. Whether you are just starting your design career or are a current practitioner, this valuable resource is sure to enhance your skills and knowledge.

    Annie Salisbury was one of these Cast Members, in charge of making the very best magic for those who could afford it.In The Ride Delegate, her memoir of life as a Disney World VIP tour guide, Annie shares some of her most memorable experiences: The Middle Eastern royal family who needed a room at the Contemporary where all thirty-seven of them could pray, right now The wealthy woman who used cancer as an excuse for why her family should be able to ride It's a Small World until they were ready to get off The mysterious VIP (dubbed "Dr. No" by Annie) who arrived for his afternoon tour in a private plane at a private airport in the swamp The famous football player who didn't understand why he couldn't ride Universal's Incredible Hulk Coaster at EPCOT Plus, you'll learn about the perks and privileges of being a VIP Tour Guide, from corn dogs to illicit cash, and the lengths to which Disney will go to keep its VIP guests happy Come get a taste of what Disney World is like for those with deep pockets—and personalities to match—and meet the eccentric, outrageous guests who turned Annie's dream job into a reality show.

    Finally, you will find 10 beautiful afghan patterns that can be completed in just one day. Note that these patterns will help you complete a lap-sized blanket or a baby blanket. For larger projects, you can expect that you will need more than one day to complete. Are you ready to be creative? Just scroll up and download now so that we can get started…

    What happened to Hazel Grace when Augustus Waters died? Read volume: 1 of this story to find out... What happens when everything goes wrong? What happens when the boy who changed your life leaves his and your love story unfinished? Only Hazel Grace knew. Her heart sustained wounds of a lost love; it harbored the scars. Her mind cherished his memory, her lips remembered the taste of his and her entire body longed for his touch again, but she knew that he (Gus) was never coming back again, that was until the dreams began. There was something Gus needed to tell her, something he desperately needed her to know---a message he needed her to receive. Was the love that two star-crossed, teens shared strong enough to bridge the distance of death? Was it possible to find each other again from the other side of Gus's infinity? Hazel wasn't sure, but after hearing his voice inside her head and feeling his kiss on her cheek at night, while half-asleep she just might become a believer.

    And nowhere are those remedies more needed and desired than in our cities. The Permaculture City provides a new way of thinking about urban living, with practical examples for creating abundant food, energy security, close-knit communities, local and meaningful livelihoods, and sustainable policies in our cities and towns. The same nature-based approach that works so beautifully for growing food—connecting the pieces of the landscape together in harmonious ways—applies perfectly to many of our other needs. Toby Hemenway, one of the leading practitioners and teachers of permaculture design, illuminates a new way forward through examples of edge-pushing innovations, along with a deeply holistic conceptual framework for our cities, towns, and suburbs.The Permaculture City begins in the garden but takes what we have learned there and applies it to a much broader range of human experience; we’re not just gardening plants but people, neighborhoods, and even cultures. Hemenway lays out how permaculture design can help towndwellers solve the challenges of meeting our needs for food, water, shelter, energy, community, and livelihood in sustainable, resilient ways. Readers will find new information on designing the urban home garden and strategies for gardening in community, rethinking our water and energy systems, learning the difference between a “job” and a “livelihood,” and the importance of placemaking and an empowered community.This important book documents the rise of a new sophistication, depth, and diversity in the approaches and thinking of permaculture designers and practitioners. Understanding nature can do more than improve how we grow, make, or consume things; it can also teach us how to cooperate, make decisions, and arrive at good solutions.