Steaming to Bamboola


Book Description

The Columbianna, an ancient tramp steamer with a notably eccentric crew, 200 layers of paint on her decks, a sailing history going back to 1945, and demons in her plumbing, was crossing the Atlantic for the umpteenth time—but on this occasion with a sharp-eyed observer, whose brilliant account brings to life the harshness, humor, and bizarreness of life on board. Steaming to Bamboola is a story of the author's time at sea. He tells first-hand about typhoons, cargoes, smuggling, mid-ocean burials, rescues, stowaways, hard places, hard drinking, and hard romance. It is the tale of a ship and her crew, men fated to wander for a living—always steaming to, but never quite reaching, Bamboola. This was the first book by renowned author and humorist Christopher Buckley, which was originally published in 1982 to glowing reviews. Forty years and over twenty books and hundreds of articles later, Buckley introduces Columbianna and her roguish crew to a new generation of readers.




Steaming Volume One


Book Description

Gather 'round, my fellow tars and pour yourself a drink (preferably a San Miguel). What you're about to read is the largest collection of sea stories ever gathered in one place. Best of all, these stories come from fellow USS Enterprise nukes and engineers. No one can deny that the Big E was the greatest warship ever built, and that the guys who gave her her steam were the best nukes and engineers in the fleet. We were also pretty darn funny. In fact, our sense of humor was legendary. It was the one thing that helped get us through it all. More than just sea stories, these are the tales of our youth, the recollections of life-long friends, and random memories of strange people and faraway places.




Steaming Volume Seven


Book Description

When I began these Steaming books in January of 2018, I had no idea it would take two years and 4,280 pages to summarize everything on the old KP Site. I guess I collected quite a few stories in those 13 years. In this final edition of Steaming you'll witness the KP Site slowly fade into oblivion. It would become dormant twice when I tried to pawn off my editorial duties to the KP Facebook page. That didn't work. Everyone wanted the old site back up, even if it was rarely updated. So, I tried again. Technology, however, was unkind. I couldn't adapt to the new ways of doing things and finally pulled the plug after the 2014 inactivation ceremony. In my mind that seemed like the logical place to end it. I'm 56 years old now. The time I spent on the Big E was only 7-percent of my life. That's such a small chunk compared to the over thirty years now spent serving society as a dignified and productive family man. But that 7-percent sure was significant. It shaped me in a way everything I've done before or afterwards never could. I now look back on that time with pride, knowing I served on the greatest warship of all time with the greatest bunch of misfits ever assembled in one place. How truly blessed I was. I hope you guys enjoyed the Steaming books. I know I sure enjoyed collecting the tales and putting them together in a somewhat manageable form. Has it really been 30 years since I last set foot in 4-Plant? Yes, I guess it has. Damn, I miss you guys.




Fig Pudding


Book Description

Clifford Allyn Abernathy III (just Cliff, for short) is the oldest of six kids in a family that does everything—fighting, laughing, playing, eating, telling stories, and celebrating the holidays—in a big, often outlandish, and sometimes poignant way. Taking the family from Christmas to Christmas, the chapters of Fig Pudding, narrated by eleven-year-old Cliff, are complete short stories in themselves. Read together, they tell the tale of life in a large, loving family. Besides a fresh look, this edition includes a brand new story.




From STEM to STEAM


Book Description

Research shows that activities associated with the arts can enhance creativity, problem-solving, memory systems, motor coordination, and analytical skills. Best-selling author David A. Sousa and veteran arts educator Thomas J. Pilecki demonstrate how arts education is integral to the development of the brain and to students′ overall academic achievement. This book provides: " Classroom-tested strategies and techniques for both integrating the arts in STEM instruction " Data from schools that have already integrated the arts into STEM subjects, plus anecdotes and student success stories " How-to′s for organizing curriculum and instructional strategies to allow for the integration of STEM subjects and the arts " Strategies for getting the entire staff and community involved in STEAM initiatives




Steaming Volume Two


Book Description

Wow, you're like STAR babies. You're not quite sure what you've gotten yourself into but decided to "re-up" for more. This next edition of Steaming includes activity on the KP Site between Nov 21, 2002 and June 26, 2003. This period has some of my favorite stories. It also contains the most controversial tales in the collection. This second "deployment" has a slightly different flavor than the previous one. I didn't plan it that way. I just ended Volume One before it got too big. I figured you guys didn't want to get whacked over the head with anything over 600 pages when your wives got tired of hearing you laugh and then hiding the book whenever they stormed into the room. Volume Two still focuses on the Big E, but also features tales from CGN, other CVN, SSN and SSBN nukes. We fondly recollect boot camp, A-School, Nuke School, prototype, and the everyday delights of life at sea. We also become somewhat introspective and share why we chose to become navy nukes. Spoiler alert: not one of us regretted it.




The World Atlas of Coffee


Book Description

The worldwide bestseller - 1/3 million copies sold 'With his expert guidance we travel around the globe, from Burundi to Honduras via Vietnam, sipping and spitting as we go. This is high geekery made palatable by the evident love pulsing through every sentence.' - The Guardian 'The subject of coffee has never been more, er, hot, and The World Atlas of Coffee takes a close look at its history and evolution, the international range of beans and all the best ways to enjoy coffee. Great pics too.' - Susy Atkins, The Telegraph For everyone who wants to understand more about coffee and its wonderful nuances and possibilities, this is the book to have. Coffee has never been better, or more interesting, than it is today. Coffee producers have access to more varieties and techniques than ever before and we, as consumers, can share in that expertise to make sure the coffee we drink is the best we can find. Where coffee comes from, how it was harvested, the roasting process and the water used to make the brew are just a few of the factors that influence the taste of what we drink. Champion barista and coffee expert James Hoffmann examines these key factors, looking at varieties of coffee, the influence of terroir, how it is harvested and processed, the roasting methods used, through to the way in which the beans are brewed. Country by country - from Bolivia to Zambia - he then identifies key characteristics and the methods that determine the quality of that country's output. Along the way we learn about everything from the development of the espresso machine, to why strength guides on supermarket coffee are really not good news. This is the first book to chart the coffee production of over 35 countries, encompassing knowledge never previously published outside the coffee industry.




Full Steam Ahead!


Book Description

Discover how to create a clear, compelling & successful vision for yourself or your organization with this engaging parable by two bestselling authors. In Full Steam Ahead! you’ll learn: • How to use the power of vision to get focused, get energized, and get great results • How to create a vision that motivates and inspires everyone in your organization • How to create a vision for your own life that provides meaning and direction This new edition is thoroughly revised, with a new chapter on sustaining your vision, updated examples, more information on creating vision for teams, and a new section that includes a vision assessment and a game plan for creating a shared vision. “This story provides a wonderful road map through the very important territory of vision that can move into action. I found myself recalling many details of the journey well after I put the book down—it stayed vividly in my memory. A powerful, simple guide for a journey we all need to take.” —Margaret J. Wheatley, author of Leadership and the New Science andco-author of Walk Out Walk On “So many of the lessons I share with my teams revolve around attaining goals by having a clear vision of where we are headed as a group and also individually. Full Steam Ahead! emphasizes the ways in which those visions can not only help you reach greatness but also maintain it for you and your team. In the past I’ve shared this book with friends and coaching peers alike and continue to do so in order to share the wisdom and effective guidance that Ken and Jesse provide on each and every page.” —John Calipari, Head Coach, University of Kentucky Basketball, two-time National Coach of the Year, and author of the national bestseller Bounce Back




Stem, Steam, Make, Dream


Book Description

STEM, STEAM, Make, Dream explores the ways that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics can transform all young people's lives through learning. This includes reimagining our collective relationship to STEM by presenting it as more accepting and accessible than previously acknowledged. Beginning with the ways that STEM has been used to marginalize many children, the book examines the need for the arts - including culture - to serve as an anchor for instruction. It also describes the need for "making" (hands-on creation and tinkering) in establishing relevance in learning. Then, through an experiential approach, the book articulates the value of dreaming of a future that is inclusive of all young people, especially those furthest from opportunity. To help all children claim their STEM identity, the book provides educators, policy makers, and community leaders with tangible ways to honor culture, increase equity, and encourage curiosity. The book demystifies STEM and shows a clear pathway to empowering children with the skills needed to succeed in a science and tech-based world. In addition, it offers educators a roadmap to developing future creators, innovators, scientists, and entrepreneurs. This includes providing the tools and knowledge necessary to advocate for sustainable change and address inequity, apathy, and the many other real problems in education. To do so, the book combines real-world stories, observations, and research in a visually-rich package that includes activities, inspiring quotes, and key takeaways. To help ground research and theory, readers will hear from - and be inspired by - practitioners, activists, and artists ranging from renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson to founding Wu-Tang Clan member GZA to acclaimed educator Gholdy Muhammad. In profiling these innovators, the book reveals how readers can nurture creativity, spark joy, and promote perseverance in all children.




Steaming Volume Six


Book Description

Alas, the Steaming series is coming to an end. This will be the second to last volume. This edition contains letters from 6/27/06 to 6/1/08. As you can see, the frequency of correspondence is now starting to greatly diminish. I didn't know it then but the KP Site was starting to take on water. Technology was rapidly advancing and it was leaving me behind. Hell, I was still editing my webpages the old-fashioned way, using a 1999 version of Microsoft Frontpage. This dog was too old to learn new tricks and it was starting to show. I love the letters in Volume 6. They're about people I knew and loved, places I knew and loved, and the special times I had with these people in those places. Almost everyone from my era is now present and accounted for and most agree they remember only the good times. Even veterans of the Newport News overhaul seem less jaded. Time had finally softened the Norfolk nightmare. Could it be that even the Y2K gang was becoming sentimental too? It sure seemed that way. The Big E's last generation of nukes and engineers were reporting aboard during this era of correspondence. These yarns (and the ones that had been coming in for six years) were now required reading. The KP Site was a poorly kept secret. Even the scrambled-egg-on-the-hat types were secretly lurking. A tale uploaded one day was discussed the next down in the plants, up in the wardrooms, and even in some remote NAVSEA office. We 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s old salts might not have contributed much to overall plant safety, but we certainly inspired many a 3rd Class Petty Officer to accept his or her lot in life and strive to be noteworthy on a ship that had a history like no other. Grandfathers, fathers, and now sons and daughters could brag that they steamed on the mighty Enterprise. No other ship of the line had sailors that loved their home more. How could that be? The Big E was a genuine shitshow. Everything was FUBAR. HP-tape and J-B Weld held most of it together. There wasn't even a supply chain that could help anymore. But yet, everyone did their job and did it better than any other snipe or twidget in the fleet. They understood they were part of a legend. They knew it would actually mean something to have served on the Carrier with Class. Sadly, her time is up. Sure, another ship will call herself Enterprise, but that one-immaculate, sleek, pristine, state of the art-could never be as special. What made the CVN 65 unique was her crew, not her labyrinth of machines. No other ship in the world had men and women serving with such pride.