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Touch Down
Touchdown of Apollo 11 had many unknowns for the first lunar landing. Dodging the craters and boulders on the moon to land on a firm surface without totally running out of fuel for the return to Earth was a breathtaking experience. The author recounts his press briefing to the world's journalists prior to the 1969 launch at Cape Kennedy, followed by how he became an aerospace engineer. Building a suit to protect the astronauts from the unknowns encountered in the extremes of space and on the lunar surface was an ongoing challenge. Details such as the effects of cosmic rays, thermal extremes and micro-meteoroids on the human body were addressed as they were discovered over the eight-year period following JFK's challenge. Key engineering changes to meet the new requirements for the space suit that had to be tested and implemented before each mission are described. Applications of the new technologies, materials and processes developed in the space programs adapted to industrial and consumer products are also delineated.
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Truth & Li(e)bor
Truth & Li(e)bor is the story of the author’s personal journey and legal battles which consumed over six years of his life.
As the story unfolded, the author slowly began to understand that even though he was charged with “conspiracy to defraud”, the real conspiracy might have been elsewhere. Was he one of the conveniently selected scapegoats thrown under the bus, allowing others to escape untouched? Had it been a well-executed plan involving individuals from all over the globe and in many different roles? Was it a coincidence that the LIBOR “scandal” emerged shortly after the Great Financial Crisis of 2008? Why has the practice of “lowballing” been seemingly buried within the media?
One of the author’s main tasks is to put readers in his shoes and make them ask themselves a few simple questions: “How would I react to the events that are unfolding? Would I have carried out my professional duties like he did? Would I have done something different if I was in his shoes? How would I have coped with the adversity?”£3.50 -
Two Marriages: From Paradise into Hell and Back Again
In Two Marriages: From Paradise to Hell and Back Again, Jette tells the story of her journey through love and heartbreak. The first third of the book is written from the perspective of a narrator and details Jette’s career, social life, and the betrayal by her first husband. The last two thirds, written by Jette in the first person, is a tribute to her second husband, Ernest Edward John Paradine, a former Major of the British Royal Artillery, who was honored by the Queen in 1981 with an MBE. Jette recounts the couple’s move to England and her experiences travelling with Ernest to India, Pakistan, Brunei, Singapore, and Jordan. Along the way, the reader learns of Ernest’s family secrets and Jette’s love for England and classical music. The book is a true love story and a glimpse into life in ‘third world countries’ from 1988 to 2000, with unbelievable coincidences playing a role in both Jette and Ernest’s lives.
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Unbreakable
Eighteen years ago, I stood in the passage of my home staring down the barrel of a gun while my children lay asleep meters away. One loud bang and the bullet slammed into my chest, paralyzing me instantly. My whole life as I knew it was changed forever. As if that wasn’t enough, I survived breast cancer and a deadly tumour when the doctors said my chances were slim.
I am the preacher’s daughter that was thrown out of home at the tender age of 17 years old living on my own in a downtown Hillbrow, I did what needed to be done to pay the bills and this is where I found myself working in gentleman’s clubs as a dancer and working as a dominatrix on the side. These early challenges prepared me for the road ahead shot, and paralyzed, two rounds of cancer, two divorces from abusive men, and other life-threatening events. Only while reading my story will you fully understand that thus far it is a miracle for this autobiography to been penned.
Now, the unexpected: a chance to walk again…
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Up Long Meadow
Brindley Hosken’s farm, Withan, is a difficult, hilly patch of ground situated on the Lizard peninsula in the south of Cornwall. His land runs down to Frenchman’s Creek. One of the most peaceful, beautiful, and restful spots you are ever likely to find today.
When Brindley was asked to write a farming column for the local magazine, The Meneage Messenger, in 2007, he could not have known where it would take him. Developing a love for writing, his second book, Up Long Meadow, chronicles the history of his farming life over sixty years. As farming has changed from primarily manual, physical work to more tractor-driven he explores how, as a farmer, he has adapted to the changes that have been deemed progress.
His love of Cornwall and especially his locality on the south side of the Helford River shine through in this book, and hopefully will give the reader an understanding of the myriad of different histories and life stories that each farm and farmer have.
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Up There
Touching clouds is free, priceless and absolutely exhilarating. To do this, you have to be able to fly. This is the story of a middle-class Melbourne girl, uneducated, lonely in her own family and desperate to find something worthwhile, who eventually discovers flying.
Following a flying career spanning forty years from her first lesson at the tender age of thirty-five, fifteen countries, marriage, divorce, lovers, shootings, robberies and a crazy cast of characters, Up There is a story of how transcending difficulties can lead to amazing things.
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Waiting in the Wings
Completely without any professional qualifications, Brian Hutchinson had 31 different jobs during a long working life. From acrobat to special advisor to a cabinet minister; all completely unplanned through opportunity knocks! Brian (Hutch) Hutchinson: Acrobat, Musician (Sax/Clarinet), one of the youngest Justices of the Peace at Inner London Juvenile Courts, Civil Servant, Special Advisor to Cabinet Minister, Music Business Executive, Theatrical Agent, Recording Studio Partner, Record Factory MD, Director Brixton Business Centre, Board Member Brixton City Challenge, General Manager on secondment The Princess Diana Memorial Fund, Patron Macmillan Academy Teesside, Independent Assessor for Commissioner for (Ministerial) Public Appointments, Corporate Affairs Director Allied Zurich Plc, Chair UK Trustees International Fund for Animal Welfare, Former Trustee National Centre for Circus Arts. Taken out of school at 15 years old to join my Father’s troupe of acrobats on tour with Boswell’s Circus in Southern Africa; I was untrained as an acrobat and learned the basics on the two weeks’ boat journey from Southampton to Cape Town. I also played alto Sax and Clarinet in the circus band. I guess I’m an entrepreneur; it was easier in the 1950s–1970s to succeed without formal qualifications such as a university degree or even a couple of A Levels. I was also one of the youngest JPs in the Inner London Juvenile Courts thanks to advice from the Master of then Rolls and support from Lady (Elspeth) Howe.
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Weed Out the Scumbags: The Art of Finding Your Soulmate
This book is a testament to the knowing that soulmates do usually find each other, in one way or another, as the universe deems. The author’s story is meant to enlighten and give credence to those who are desperate to encounter their one and only soulmate. Your soulmate is very likely to appear, but the catch is to sometimes make it happen on your own—as this author has done. Had she not ‘bit the bullet’ by taking certain actions to bring her soulmate to her—unbeknownst to him—this book might not have been written. Her tactics were clear and steadfast, and her story is evidence to her truth that almost anyone can find their soulmate, anywhere in the world. She did. Why not you?
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Welcome to My Fabulous Sh*tshow
Welcome to My Fabulous Sh*tshow embraces the power of being yourself and yielding your sword of soul to conquer the battlefield that is life as a woman and a mother.
It pays tribute to the amazing super troopers in your life who not only love and support you but are in the trenches just in case you call for backup. They will catch you, prop you up and send you back out to battle in your gorgeous stilettos!
Armed with eyelash and hair extensions plus a splash of impatience that only a single woman can have whilst juggling kids and a career, this book takes delight in showcasing how being in your mid-40s can also mean that you are in your prime time and life is only just beginning.
Learn how self-discovery is a journey for the brave or for those who like to cringe. Was it through trying to work out a brand after being described as Bridget Jones meets Carrie Bradshaw?
Is it from becoming a newly appointed student of the universe (with Google as a professor) or testing the philosophies of drama and love or even seeking answers about parallel universes?
Perhaps it was trying to find answers from undertaking a sexual energy cleanse, rebuilding an ‘empire’ after having a squashed heart or is it the struggle to date men of the same age.
This fabulous sh*tshow takes a humorous and curious look at living beyond your expectations and at how things in life just happen as they are supposed to.
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What Were the Chances
In this astonishing true adventure, follow two middle-aged, divorced pals as they embark on a journey that neither sobriety nor careful planning might have ever inspired. After reminiscing over drinks, a spontaneous decision takes them aboard a Philippine airline 747 in 1988, bound for Australia, to reunite with an old friend.
But to say ‘things didn’t go to plan’ would be the understatement of the century.
The series of unbelievable events that befall these audacious adventurers will leave you astounded, amused, and at moments, deeply moved. More miraculously, they lived to recount every twist and turn. Their tale not only evokes laughter and tears but also serves as a testament to life’s unpredictable wonders and the magic that can unfold when you seize the day.
Join these two endearing risk-takers on a whirlwind odyssey that proves sometimes, the best stories are the unplanned ones.
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When East Met West
The path from a refugee’s child to a chairman of the board of a large company leads the author to a variety of people and unforgettable experiences. Hansjuergen Nelde experiences multiple political systems: born in national socialism, he grows up in socialism and is imprinted by the later GDR. To live and work in socialism for 40 years means adaptation to avoid being left behind. The author experiences the German unification as a managing director of a large pharmaceutical company. With that began in the now re-united Germany a much stricter capitalism than the FRG had ever seen before the fall of the wall. Thanks to his competency, Nelde manages to become the chairman of the board of his entrusted company that had transformed from a people’s-owned company (VEB) to a publicly listed company (AG). He meets many important politicians and actively shapes the new Germany. His memories come together in short stories and anecdotes behind the political background.
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When the Knives Rattle in the Drawer
Ryan Tanner is an average family man battling alcohol and the demons from his childhood, while struggling as a husband and a father. Drowning in a life that often makes no sense, he turns to an insightful, no-nonsense psychologist as a last resort to try and save his volatile, but altogether beautiful marriage with his beloved wife Tess. Surrounded by Ryan’s drinking, memories of their traumatic childhoods and the gut-wrenching lows of married life, When the Knives Rattle in the Drawer is a cathartic recount about understanding the damage that life can cause and searching for the strength to be the best partner and parent possible.
Set in two different worlds, the story evolves between the couple’s small-town family life and wild, alcohol fuelled nights in the inner suburbs of Sydney. After meeting at 17 years old, they have been married for 23 years and play a simple game: 20 questions, ask anything you want. They explore every aspect of trust, love, fidelity and desire before they go to the club. A club where they enter a world of primal sexual energy, a world where wild things happen.
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