The riveting story of the American scientists, tinkerers, and nerds who solved one of the biggest puzzles of World War II—and developed one of the most powerful weapons of the war 12 Seconds of Silence is the remarkable, lost story of how a ragtag group of American scientists overcame one of the toughest problems of World War II: shooting things out of the sky. Working in a secretive organization known as Section T, a team of physicists, engineers, and everyday Joes and Janes took on a devilish challenge. To help the Allies knock airplanes out of the air, they created one of the world’s first “smart weapons.” Against overwhelming odds and in a race against time, mustering every scrap of resource, ingenuity, and insight, the scientists of Section T would eventually save countless lives, rescue the city of London from the onslaught of a Nazi superweapon, and help bring about the Axis defeat. A holy grail sought after by Allied and Axis powers alike, their unlikely innovation ranks with the atomic bomb as one of the most revolutionary technologies of the Second World War. Until now, their tale was largely untold. For fans of Erik Larson and Ben Macintyre, set amidst the fog of espionage, dueling spies, and the dawn of an age when science would determine the fate of the world, 12 Seconds of Silence is a tribute to the extraordinary wartime mobilization of American science and the ultimate can-do story.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do."--Mark Twain Ever wondered if there must be more to life than this?Ever thought, "It's now or never"?Ever wanted to travel the world? Me too At the 'ripe old age' of fifty, I decided I wanted some fun - I wanted to live rather than just exist I wanted some wild and whacky experiences to tell my grandchildren about in years to come. So, after years of feeling like a hamster in a wheel, juggling work with children, I rebelled in the most spectacular way. I walked away from my job, rented my house out, went off travelling around the world for six months with my nineteen-year-old daughter, and embraced a whole new way of life. I hope you laugh as much as we did at the crazy things that happened to us and the madcap things we tried (white-water rafting, skydiving, hiking up glaciers, jumping off waterfalls and posing naked in front of them, to name a few). I hope it makes you realise that you only get one life, and now is the time to start living it, doing what you really want to and enjoying every precious moment. Follow your dreams--you'll be amazed where they take you I did, and my life has never been the same since. For more information about Life Begins at Fifty, please go to www.lifebeginsatfifty.info

"A perfect guide to getting the non-essentials out of the way, so that simple joys can make their way into our lives." -- Marianne Williamson, author of A Return to Love "If you want to grow, you gotta let go," is the mantra that bestselling author, columnist, and life coach Gail Blanke lives by. That means eliminating all the clutter - physical and emotional - that holds you back, weighs you down, or just makes you feel bad about yourself. In Throw Out Fifty Things she takes us through each room of the house - from the attic to the garage - and even to the far reaches of our minds. Through poignant and humorous stories, she inspires us to get rid of the "life plaque" we've allowed to build-up there. That junk drawer (you know that drawer) in the kitchen? Empty it! Those old regrets? Throw 'em out! That make-up from your "old" look? Toss it! That relationship that depresses you? Dump it! Once you've hit fifty (you'll be surprised how easy it is to get there) and once you've thrown out that too-tight belt and too-small view of yourself, you'll be ready to step out into the clearing and into the next, and greatest, segment of your life.

Fifty Hollywood Directors introduces the most important, iconic and influential filmmakers who worked in Hollywood between the end of the silent period and the birth of the blockbuster. By exploring the historical, cultural and technological contexts in which each director was working, this book traces the formative period in commercial cinema when directors went from pioneers to industry heavyweights. Each entry discusses a director’s practices and body of work and features a brief biography and suggestions for further reading. Entries include: Frank Capra Cecil B DeMille John Ford Alfred Hitchcock Fritz Lang Orson Welles DW Griffith King Vidor This is an indispensible guide for anyone interested in film history, Hollywood and the development of the role of the director.

Travel on a wonderful journey with skating author, figure skating competitor, skating coach, and skating parent, Jo Ann Schneider Farris. Learn everything and anything about skating as you travel through Jo Ann's skating life. In addition to reading Jo Ann's story, purchasers of the digital edition of MY SKATING LIFE can also enjoy embedded links, articles, photos, and videos that will take the reader on more wonderful skating adventures. The photos in the digital edition are in color and can be enlarged and enjoyed. Happy Skating!

Few nations have undergone such agony as Russia experienced between 1896 and 1953. The Khodynka Meadow Disaster of May 30, 1896 killed 1,389 people, and ominously marred Tsar Nicholas II’s coronation. Eight years later the Russo-Japanese War (1904 - 1905) claimed 71,453 military servicemen’s lives, without bringing any benefit to Russia. Over 13,000 people died in the consequent Revolution of 1905. Roughly two million Russian soldiers and sailors, plus 400,000 civilians perished in the slaughter of World War I (1914 - 1918.) Lenin kicked off his Bolshevik regime with a bloody civil war against the tsarist “Whites,” in which one million combatants lost their lives. During this same chaotic period at least three million people succumbed to the Spanish Influenza and typhus pandemics. Shoddy record-keeping obscured the death toll wrought by Lenin’s Red Terror (1918 - 1923). Estimates range from 250,000 to 1,000,000, with 400,000 probably being more accurate than the lowball guess. Historians still debate the severity of Stalin’s purges (1928 - 1953.) The actual number of dead most likely falls somewhere between twenty and thirty million. By a very conservative count, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi war machine slew 15,700,000 Soviet subjects during World War II (8,700,000 military personnel and 7,000,000 civilians.) Another study has calculated the total at 25,850,000. This book examines a fifty-seven year time frame of our “enlightened modern age,” during which at least forty million Russians were exterminated due to misgovernment.