Brush with Danger


Book Description

Solving Crime in Record Time! A priceless painting, a mysterious letter, a piece of cheese so stinky it’s deadly…From the art galleries of Paris to the palaces of Moscow, detective Wily Fox is on the trail of Dimitri Gottabottomitch. But the brown bear is doing whatever he can to throw Wily off the scent. Can Wily solve the case of the priceless painting or will he be the victim of an art attack? Fun and fast-paced detective stories, perfect for fans of Geronimo Stilton and The Dragon Detective Agency.




Preoccupied With Danger


Book Description

Weapons of mass destruction are not new in the arsenal of war; there has been time for rogue groups to acquire them. These weapons can already be in the wrong hands and any homeland defense must recognize the threat. Jack lived with chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for over forty years before he heard of the diagnosis but when he did, he knew he had it. With competent psychiatric evaluations he was able to know this for sure in 1999. Only since 1980 has the disorder been recognized as a separate stress injury. Jack's Veterans' Administration evaluation for his problems in 1977 was "chronic anxiety neurosis" and close enough to know it was the same disorder. This book illustrates how this stress injury can be tolerated for a long time and what damage this can do to the lives of the victim, his family, his career and to society. Early treatment can provide relief from this long-term disorder and it is important to get competent help. Military veterans mistake PTSD for only being a combat related injury. Jack never was in a combat zone but the trauma he experienced was just as harmful.




Giacometti


Book Description

The work of one of the towering creative spirits of the century, Alberto Giacometti's visionary sculptures and paintings from a testament to the artist's intriguing life story. From modest beginnings in a Swiss village, Giacometti went on to flourish in the picturesque milieu of prewar Paris and then to achieve international acclaim in the fifties and sixties. Picasso, Balthus, Samuel Beckett, Stravinsky and Sartre have parts in his story, along with flamboyant art dealers, whores, shady drifters, unscrupulous collectors, poets and thieves. Women were a complex yet important element of his life--particularly his wife, Annette, and his last mistress and model, Caroline--as was the intimate relationship he shared with his brother Diego, who was both Alberto's confidant and collaborator. James Lord was personally acquainted with Giacometti and his entourage, and combines firsthand experience with a unique knowledge gathered during many years of observation and research. In this exceptional biography Lord unfolds the personal history of a man who managed to achieve a heroic destiny by remaining utterly true to himself and to his calling. Giacometti: A Biography was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. James Lord has subsequently published three volumes of memoirs. In recognition of his contribution to French culture he has been made an officer of the Legion of Honour.




The Pongwiffy Stories 1


Book Description

A brand new bind-up edition of the much-loved classic children's series Pongwiffy including A Witch of Dirty Habits and The Goblin's Revenge! Pongwiffy has just moved into a new cave, and it's dirty, smelly and damp - in other words it's perfect for a witch like Pongwiffy! At least it would be if her next door neighbours weren't a group of extremely noisy Goblins... Before long Pongwiffy can bear it no more and enlists the help of her best friend, Witch Sharkadder, to find her somewhere else to live. And that's when the problems really start! In the second story, the Goblins are back and up to their usual tricks! But this time Pongwiffy also has to deal with a badly behaved broom, a bonfire disaster and a strange genie.... Two laugh-out-loud stories of humour and warmth, enticingly mixed with much sludge, slime and very bad habits. Now with brand new illustrations from Katy Riddell!




Smile Out Loud


Book Description

Smile Out Loud is a book to help children build their confidence reading poems aloud and expressing and manifesting happiness and joy, for themselves and the audiences they choose to read to.




No Go World


Book Description

From the Afghan-Pakistan borderlands to the Sahara, images of danger depict a new world disorder on the global margins. With vivid detail, Ruben Andersson traverses this terrain to provide a startling new understanding of what is happening in remote "danger zones." Andersson takes aim at how Western states and international organizations conduct military, aid, and border interventions in a dangerously myopic fashion, further disconnecting the world's rich and poor. Risk-obsessed powers are helping to remap the world into zones of insecurity and danger, resulting in a vision of chaos crashing into fortified borders. Andersson contends that we must reconnect and snap out of this dangerous spiral, which affects us no matter where we are. Only by developing a new cartography of hope can we move beyond the political geography of fear that haunts us. From back cover.




Outwitting Whitetails


Book Description

**Outwitting Whitetails Decoding the Secrets of Deer Behavior** Unlock the secrets of the whitetail deer with "Outwitting Whitetails," an insightful and comprehensive guide that will transform your understanding of these elusive creatures. This eBook delves deep into the fascinating world of whitetail deer behavior, offering readers unparalleled insights that can turn any outdoor enthusiast into a whitetail expert. Explore the depths of deer intelligence, starting with their evolutionary adaptations and intricate instinctual behaviors. Learn how their keen senses of sight, smell, and hearing grant them the unparalleled awareness needed to navigate their environment and evade predators. Discover the complex social structures and dynamics that govern their interactions, from dominance hierarchies to territorial claims. Seasonal changes play a critical role in the life of a whitetail, and this guide captures how spring, summer, fall, and winter each uniquely impact deer behavior—from mating rituals to survival strategies. Examine the intricacies of their feeding patterns, navigational skills, and territory management, which enable these majestic animals to thrive in diverse environments. Predator evasion is an art perfected by whitetails, making them masters of camouflage, escape, and use of terrain. Learn how they adapt to human-dominated landscapes, whether urban, agricultural, or hunting grounds, and how their communication methods, including vocalizations, body language, and scent marking, play an essential role in their survival. Delve into the cognitive aspects of deer behavior by understanding their memory, learning abilities, and problem-solving skills. Weather's impact on their actions, the drama of the rut, and the upbringing of fawns are all broken down with scientific precision. For hunters, this eBook bridges the gap between knowledge and application, offering practical tips on reading deer signs, effective hunting techniques, and ethical practices. Conservation-minded readers will appreciate the thoughtful discussion on population control and habitat management. "Outwitting Whitetails" is not just a book; it’s an invitation to see the world through the eyes of one of nature’s most remarkable creatures. Elevate your outdoor experience and deepen your appreciation for the whitetail deer with this indispensable resource.




The Germ Files


Book Description

SOME GERMS ARE OUT TO GET US. . . . But we shouldn’t let a delinquent, pathogenic minority taint our view of the other 99.9 per cent. The microbes living on and inside us outnumber the cells in our bodies three to one. Many provide services on which our well-being, our moods, our very lives depend. They help to digest our food and operate the immune system. They trade information about potential mates when we kiss. They alert the brain to problems in different locations around the body. The balance of their populations in our gut is a crucial factor in our physical and mental health. The effect of germs on our lives is not, however, a one-way street. We can help their efforts by the way we lead our lives. The Germ Files is a one-stop source of the most up-to-date, life-changing information on our relationship with microbes, presented in concise and highly readable items grouped by theme. Areas covered include health, hygiene, sex, childcare, nutrition and dieting. The Germ Files will answer your questions about everything from preventing flu to selecting probiotics, while constantly surprising you with revelations about the miraculous workings of the microscopic world.




Skeen's Leap


Book Description

This fast-paced, gritty space adventure introduces the unforgettable Skeen, a hard-edged heroine and intergalactic thief trapped in an unknown universe. Jo Clayton, creator of the popular Diadem Saga, introduces a delightfully unforgettable new character—a tough, sexy, futuristic tomb raider Lara Croft with issues—and sets her loose in a wild and woolly galaxy of dastardly villains, alien shape-shifters, and all manner of strange sentient life-forms. Skeen is a bandit and a rogue, a master thief wanted throughout myriad solar systems for plundering the rare antiquities of countless alien civilizations while always keeping one rocket ship–length ahead of the intergalactic law. A “rooner” with a dark past, she now finds herself penniless and abandoned on a miserable backwater planet, at the tail end of a string of very bad luck, with no option except to follow unreliable rumors to a supposed fortune in gems hidden among ancient ruins. What she finds instead is a gateway into another world—and a universe of trouble. Now, trapped in a strange new reality with no way out, Skeen must find the key to reopening the portal, and that will entail making contact with the mysterious aliens who created the interdimensional passageway. But the enigmatic Ykx vanished eons ago, and finding representatives of a highly advanced and possibly extinct extraterrestrial race is not going to be easy for the silver-tongued lone wolf outlaw. It doesn’t help that Skeen’s entourage keeps expanding by leaps and bounds with unwanted hangers-on whose interference could end up damning her to an eternity in nowhere. The first book in a thrilling trilogy featuring the inimitable Skeen, Skeen’s Leap cements Clayton’s well-deserved reputation as one of the premier purveyors of science fantasy, alongside Andre Norton, C. J. Cherryh, and Marion Zimmer Bradley. Wry, witty, and wondrously inventive, featuring a colorful cast of delightful and deliciously weird alien types, it is a space opera romp guaranteed to transport genre aficionados to new and wondrous worlds.




Sidewalks


Book Description

Examines the evolution of an undervalued urban space and how conflicts over competing uses—from the right to sit to the right to parade—have been negotiated. Urban sidewalks, critical but undervalued public spaces, have been sites for political demonstrations and urban greening, promenades for the wealthy and the well-dressed, and shelterless shelters for the homeless. On sidewalks, decade after decade, urbanites have socialized, paraded, and played, sold their wares, and observed city life. These many uses often overlap and conflict, and urban residents and planners try to include some and exclude others. In this first book-length analysis of the sidewalk as a distinct public space, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris and Renia Ehrenfeucht examine the evolution of the American urban sidewalk and trace conflicts that have arisen over its competing uses. Drawing on historical and contemporary examples as well as case study research and archival data from five cities—Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Seattle—they discuss the characteristics of sidewalks as small urban public spaces, and such related issues as the ambiguous boundaries of their “public” status, contestation over specific uses, control and regulations, and the implications for First Amendment speech and assembly rights.