It was supposed to have been a celebration. A night out among friends. A chance to celebrate the culmination of ten long years. For the last decade, Kyle Clady has served as a Navy SEAL. He has endured sleepless nights, hellish environments, personal injury, strained relations. He has fought enemies foreign and domestic, and multiple continents. At long last, it is over. He is free to return home to San Diego, to the wife that has endured by his side, to the plans they have made for the future. Little does he know that waiting there for him is an eventuality far worse than anything he ever encountered in the military...

    It was a trying time, however, for many Americans, including women who fought for the vote, blacks who began organizing to secure their rights, and activists on the Left who lost theirs in the first Red Scare of the century.John Cooper's panoramic history of this period shows us where we came from and sheds light on where we are.

    In July 1881, Lt. A.W. Greely and his crew of 24 scientists and explorers were bound for the last region unmarked on global maps. Their goal: Farthest North. What would follow was one of the most extraordinary and terrible voyages ever made.Greely and his men confronted every possible challenge—vicious wolves, sub-zero temperatures, and months of total darkness—as they set about exploring one of the most remote, unrelenting environments on the planet. In May 1882, they broke the 300-year-old record, and returned to camp to eagerly await the resupply ship scheduled to return at the end of the year. Only nothing came.250 miles south, a wall of ice prevented any rescue from reaching them. Provisions thinned and a second winter descended. Back home, Greely's wife worked tirelessly against government resistance to rally a rescue mission.Months passed, and Greely made a drastic choice: he and his men loaded the remaining provisions and tools onto their five small boats, and pushed off into the treacherous waters. After just two weeks, dangerous floes surrounded them. Now new dangers awaited: insanity, threats of mutiny, and cannibalism. As food dwindled and the men weakened, Greely's expedition clung desperately to life.Labyrinth of Ice tells the true story of the heroic lives and deaths of these voyagers hell-bent on fame and fortune—at any cost—and how their journey changed the world.

    "-Washington Post Book WorldIn 1909 maps still identified eastern Montana as the Great American Desert.  But in that year Congress, lobbied heavily by railroad companies, offered 320-acre tracts of land to anyone bold or foolish enough to stake a claim to them. Drawn by shamelessly inventive brochures, countless homesteaders--many of them immigrants--went west to make their fortunes. Most failed. In Bad Land, Jonathan Raban travels through the unforgiving country that was the scene of their dreams and undoing, and makes their story come miraculously alive.     In towns named Terry, Calypso, and Ismay (which changed its name to Joe, Montana, in an effort to attract football fans), and in the landscape in between, Raban unearths a vanished episode of American history, with its own ruins, its own heroes and heroines, its own hopeful myths and bitter memories. Startlingly observed, beautifully written, this book is a contemporary classic of the American West. "Exceptional. . . .  A beautifully told historical meditation. "--Time"Championship prose. . . .  In fifty years don't be surprised if Bad Land is a landmark."--Los Angeles Times

    Here are their stories, from Duma's touchy Three Musketeers to Germany's famed university dueling clubs, from Washington's political dueling grounds at Bladensburg to Alexander Hamilton's death in a duel with Aaron Burr, and from the New Orleans doctors who settled their medical disagreements under The Oaks to the short-lived newspaper editors of America's South and West.The duel was essential to private, public, and political life. While it was technically illegal, those who followed the elaborate codes of procedure were seldom prosecuted and rarely convicted: they were obeying a grand old tradition. Dueling spread all over the Western world and persisted into the twentieth century and beyond. In the United States, the last fatal duel on public record was fought in 1959.Gentlemen's Blood is the definitive guide to this courtly violence, from an author called "a witty curmudgeon" by George Will and "a national treasure" by the Philadelphia Inquirer. whose style, according to Kirkus Reviews, "fits somewhere between E.B. White ad Andy Rooney."

    She was wrong. New widow, Haley Colbrooke travels to Ashdown to meet her husband’s family and to visit his grave. The shocking news of their recent marriage is awkward enough. That her brother in-law is Lance’s identical twin is worse. Given her circumstances, she accepts the invitation to stay, which sets in motion a chain of events that will risk Haley losing all she has left. Rather than finding solace, she is drawn into past tragedies and deadly secrets. Perhaps coming to the family estate was a terrible mistake.

    Swiftly, the aliens take control of Britain’s cities and force the remainder of the British military to go on the run. With the government destroyed, the population must choose between fighting and collaborating with the alien overlords. This is truly Britain’s darkest hour. Caught up in these events are a handful of ordinary people, struggling to survive. The Prime Minister, forced into hiding, and an unscrupulous politician looking to find fame and power by serving the aliens. Soldiers fighting an insurgency and senior officers trying desperately to find the key to driving the aliens away from Earth; police officers faced with a choice between collaboration or watching the aliens brutalise the civilian population. And ordinary citizens, trying to survive a world turned upside down. But resistance seems futile and the aliens appear unstoppable – and the entire population is caught in the middle. As the alien grip tightens, the last best hope for freedom lies with those who will never surrender...and are prepared to pay any price for the liberation of Earth.

    The Religions Book is also perfect for religion and philosophy students.

    He would never have come to power if Germany’s leading politicians had not responded to a spate of populist insurgencies by trying to co-opt him, a strategy that backed them into a corner from which the only way out was to bring the Nazis in. Hett lays bare the misguided confidence of conservative politicians who believed that Hitler and his followers would willingly support them, not recognizing that their efforts to use the Nazis actually played into Hitler’s hands. They had willingly given him the tools to turn Germany into a vicious dictatorship.Benjamin Carter Hett is a leading scholar of twentieth-century Germany and a gifted storyteller whose portraits of these feckless politicians show how fragile democracy can be when those in power do not respect it. He offers a powerful lesson for today, when democracy once again finds itself embattled and the siren song of strongmen sounds ever louder.

    This guidebook is not meant to replace a Lonely Planet/Frommers/Rough Guide, but rather to compliment them. In NZ Frenzy you'll find info about all the South's must-see spots, plus detailed info about the lesser-known and unheralded off-the-beaten-path wonder spots. This guidebook goes WAY beyond the vague outdoor info in the mainstream travel guidebooks. NZ Frenzy is about giving you the details you'll need to find the "real" NZ, the one without lines of tour buses, the one without brochures of pay-to-see commercialized natural "attractions". NZ Frenzy, unlike any of the other mainstream guidebooks, will deliver you to the New Zealand that you've been planning for and fantasizing about. I guarantee it. Please read the reviews of NZ Frenzy North Island to see what travelers think of my info. Are you going to NZ to be a tourist at touristy crowded places or do you want to find the "Real" New Zealand that you'll tell stories about?? When you have an NZ Frenzy in hand, you'll leave the other guidebooks in the glove box and you'll leave the tourists behind!! The South Island has natural wonders beyond compare, but the mainstream media only promotes the commercialized stuff. Don't waste your precious time while in NZ waiting in line at the tourist visitor centers...get NZ Frenzy and go experience the Real New Zealand, the Fabled New Zealand. You can have the trip of a lifetime, you will have the trip of a lifetime!!

    Put a tired-looking mom behind the wheel of a minivan and she becomes invisible…and the perfect spy.But Kate secretly fears she’s lost her instinct—that guiding voice that’s kept her safe in the world of espionage.To run U-Tap, she must work with John, a handsome, experienced officer with a reputation that sends her self-doubts into overdrive.And when Kate discovers John has secrets of his own, she must trust her instincts or lose everything.

    After spending several months in New York City, the family signed up for a journey to the Republic of Texas where they could homestead and eventually acquire 137 free acres for their efforts. Soon growing discontented with, not only the land, but also the management of the colony in which they had settled, the Horns decided to return to England. But, it was not to be. Attacked and captured by a party of Comanche Indians, Sarah Ann was faced with challenges and realities the like of which she never could have dreamed. Over a period of fifteen months of Comanche captivity, she and her captors rode endlessly across the Texas plains until finally she was purchased out of bondage and befriended by traders in New Mexico. This is the true story of a remarkable woman who endured an unimaginable amount of suffering and pain in her short lifetime.

    Children’s thinking capabilities would be increased because of the smart answers of the Minister Birbal.Each of the 50 stories contains a moral , a logic to think. Exchanges by Akbar and Birbal have become part of Indian folk tradition. These tales are also an integral part of Indian culture. Akbar and Birbal are extremely popular even in the modern age. This book is a compiled version of 50 good stories,illustrated with images as well. 50 Chapters are - A. AKBAR AND BIRBAL INTRODUCTION B. HOW AKBAR MET BIRBAL C. HOW MAHESH DAS BECAME BIRBAL 01. ANSWER FOR QUESTION IS A QUESTION 02. WHO IS A DONKEY? 03. WHY IS THE CAMEL’S NECK CROOKED? 04. BIRBAL’S VISIT TO HEAVEN 05. BIRBAL CAUGHT THE THIEF 06.I AM YOUR SERVANT, MY LORD 07. HOW MANY CROWS IN THE KINGDOM? 08. BIRBAL SOLVES THE PROBLEM 09. FLOWERS FOR AKBAR 10. BIRBAL’S SWEET REPLY 11. BIRBAL IDENTIFIES THE GUEST 12. TIT-BITS (BETWEEN AKBAR AND BIRBAL) 13. A LITTLE LESSER AND LITTLE MORE 14. BIRBAL’S BEAUTIFUL EXPLANATION 15.THE NOBLEST BEGGAR 16.FAST HORSE 17.THE LOYAL GARDENER 18. BIRBAL BETRAYS HIMSELF 19.RED HOT TEST 20.FOUR FOOLS 21.MILK OF AN OX 22.JUST ONE QUESTION 23.THE PARROT NEITHER EATS, NOR DRINKS 24.NEITHER HERE, NOR THERE 25. BIRBAL’S HELP TO ASTROLOGER 26.HEAVY BURDEN 27. BIRBAL PASSES THE TEST 28.THE MAGICAL DONKEY 29.PICKLED CLUE 30.HUNTING AND THE DOWRY 31. BIRBAL AND AKBAR’S RING 32.AKBAR’S DREAM 33. BIRBAL HELPS A PUNDIT 34. BIRBAL’S KHICHADEE 35.THE POET RAAYADAAS 36.THE THREE QUESTIONS 37.FEAR IS THE KEY 38.PROTECTION OF THE FOOT-MARK OF AN ELEPHANT 39. BIRBAL, THE PROBLEM SOLVER 40.WHO IS THE REAL KING? 41.WHO IS FOOLED? 42. BIRBAL, THE CHILD 43. BIRBAL’S LIST OF BLINDS 44.THE BLIND SAINT. REALLY, IS HE? 45.THE SHARP SHIELD & SWORD 46.THE LOST RING 47.WHO IS THE REAL MOTHER? 48.A MERCHANT AND THE STOLEN TREASURE 49. BIRBAL STRIKES AGAIN 50. THE LINGUIST’S CHALLENGE CHAPTER - 05 BIRBAL CAUGHT THE THIEF It so happened once that once a rich merchant's house was robbed. The merchant suspected that the thief was one of his servants. He tried to find out the thief was on his own, but failed. So he went to Birbal and explained the whole incident in detail. Birbal went to his house and assembled all of his servants in the front hall and asked that who stole the merchant's things. Everybody denied. Birbal thought for a moment, then gave a stick of equal length to all the servants of the merchant and said to them that “The stick of the real thief will be long by two inches tomorrow”. All the servants should be present here again tomorrow with their sticks. All the servants went to their homes and gathered again at the same place the next day. Birbal asked them to show him their sticks. One of the servants had his stick shorter by two inches. Birbal said, "This is your thief, merchant.

    He became a Texas Ranger, and fought as an American in the Mexican-American War, and roamed the Southwest with other mountain men such as Kit Carson. He belongs to that class of pioneers and trappers, now extinct, of which the famed Kit Carson, who was for many years the companion of the author, has been considered the most perfect type. In addition to his experiences as a hunter and trapper, we have an account of his life as a prisoner among the powerful and warlike Comanches, his adventures as a trader in Mexico, his services as interpreter and guide, under Doniphan, in our war with Mexico, and with the Liberals in the Franco-Mexican war as Captain of artillery, as well as his experience in mining in the days of the “ forty-niners” in California, and elsewhere. Probably no man then living passed through so varied and exciting a life as this one. Hobbs writes: "I was nearly full grown when I found an excellent chance to join a fur company that had just started out from St. Louis, under the lead of Charles Bent, and were going out to a fort and trading-post called Bent’s Fort, some three hundred miles south of Pike’s Peak on Big Arkansas river. The party consisted of about sixty men. The more prominent hunters were Charles Bent, Guesso Chauteau, William Savery, and two noted Indian trappers named Shawnee Spiebuck, and Shawnee Jake." On this expedition, he was captured by the Camanches, with whom he spent four years, marrying the daughter of "Old Wolf". Four years later, was ransomed by Charles Bent, who paid Old Wolf when the Indians had come to trade at Bent's Fort. It was during this time at Bent's Fort that Hobbs went out trapping with Kit Carson, and he became his lifelong friend. Hobbs became one the most famous mountain men, trappers, and fighter, partly due to his years of training in the ways of the wilderness with the Comanche. Hobbs writes: "IN the foregoing pages I have endeavored to give an account of a portion of my adventures in a life of more than usual peril and excitement. I was induced to publish this account by the earnest recommendation of many friends. It has been written out, as I have had time, entirely from memory, as I never kept a diary of events, never thinking that I should publish my experiences. For this reason, I have been unable to give exact dates in all cases; but as the object I had in view, was not to publish a history of the country where I have been, but to relate personal adventures, this will not prove, I hope, any drawback to the interest of the reader. As far as the narrative relates to my transactions, I have confined myself to the literal facts. "In looking back over my life, I find that although I have not, perhaps, always obeyed the Golden Rule, yet it is a great satisfaction to me to think of the numbers of my fellow beings I have been instrumental in saving from death and misery at the hands of savages, and from the horrors of starvation. "And now, that my labors in this direction are completed, I shall probably retire to my California home, and devote myself to stock raising. Hoping that this narrative may prove of interest to the reader, I will say -—GOOD-BYE." Originally published in 1872; reformatted for the Kindle; may contain an occasional imperfection; original spellings have been kept in place.

    In each manavantara Brahma creates seven exceptional sages from his mind, who represent supreme knowledge and righteousness. It is their duty to see that law and order is maintained in the Universe. We live in the Vaivasvata Manavantara. Amar Chitra Katha has captured stories from the inspiring and remarkable lives of the seven sages chosen to represent the current manavantara. Atri was known for his honesty and for his devotion. He was married to Anasuya who was a very pious woman and capable of great deeds. Atri's life spanned many yugas. He played a role in the events of the Ramayana as well as the Mahabharata. Vasishtha was the voice of wisdom and honesty. He was the kulguru to the Solar Dynasty and tutored Rama and his brothers. Kashyapa is considered the father of all living beings. Brahma gave him the task of creating life for swargaloka, bhooloka and patal-loka.The origin of all creatures can be traced back to Kashyapa and his wives. The proud King Kaushika had a troubled relationship with Sage Vasishtha. He wanted to become a Brahmarshi just like him. The story tells of his transformation into the accomplished sage, Vishwamitra. Gautama and his wife, Ahalya, overcame the mistrust and insults of the people of Brahmagiri and brought Ganga to the parched land. Jamadagni, who was a proficient student of the Vedas, was chosen by Vishnu to be his father during his avatar as Parashurama. Bharadwaja's thirst for knowledge was so great that he prayed to Indra for a long life so he had enough time to learn. With Indra's blessing he spread the knowledge he had learnt, around the world. The seven sages are said to reside in the heavens as stars of the Saptarshi Mandal.