This book relates some of our experiences during 30 years as foster parents. The reality of what these children endured before and after placement in the foster care system is heartbreaking. After all these years, my husband Ron and I cling stubbornly to our belief that time and man can change, but God and truth will not.My goal is to inform the public, about the foster care system. I hope to sound the alarm loud and clear, that the current foster care system is not working. I want to bring attention to the powerless children, within the system, being tossed about in the waves of loophole laws, uninformed policy makers, non-committed decision-makers, and non-motivated and often disinterested birth parents. Court mandated and enforced accountability must take place at all levels involved!

Life is cheap. The City-States of Zar and Perdition battle each other for control of an island that separates the two. Zar fights for the freedom of all, while Perdition enforces the status quo. The Principal of Perdition has sent his youngest son, Ollie, on a special mission into the enemy city of Zar to end the war. Zorra, a daughter of Zar, is asked to make the ultimate sacrifice to bring peace to the land. Before an armistice is celebrated, death strikes. Will Zorra and Ollie be able to overcome their differences and bring peace to both their cites? Who is engaged in a spiraling struggle for control of the city’s leadership? The two teens work hard to bring stability as both of their islands slip into the blood-soaked dark ages. All these questions - and more - will answer themselves as we wander through the dark fantasy of The Fractured Lands, and as we’re drawn towards the thrilling conclusion of this stunning work of immersive fiction. There are times in which great sacrifice is needed. When no one’s life or destiny is assured. In the islands of Fractured Lands remnants of mighty battles still scar the countryside. Danger approaches quickly. Family, friendship, and loyalty matter little when the quest for control drives ambition. Life itself becomes a zero-sum game with only winners and losers. In Fractured Bonds, author Greg Alldredge takes us into a bold new heart of dark fantasy and leaves us shaken, thrilled, and eager for more. For fans of Game of Thrones, this second book in an epic fantasy series is guaranteed to get the mind racing and the heart pumping and is sure to grip readers from the first fantastical page to the last.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1874.

Naturally fractured reservoirs constitute a substantial percentage of remaining hydrocarbon resources; they create exploration targets in otherwise impermeable rocks, including under-explored crystalline basement; and they can be used as geological stores for anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Their complex behaviour during production has traditionally proved difficult to predict, causing a large degree of uncertainty in reservoir development. The applied study of naturally fractured reservoirs seeks to constrain this uncertainty by developing new understanding, and is necessarily a broad, integrated, interdisciplinary topic. This book addresses some of the challenges and advances in knowledge, approaches, concepts, and methods used to characterize the interplay of rock matrix and fracture networks, relevant to fluid flow and hydrocarbon recovery. Topics include: describing, characterizing and identifying controls on fracture networks from outcrops, cores, geophysical data, digital and numerical models; geomechanical influences on reservoir behaviour; numerical modelling and simulation of fluid flow; and case studies of the exploration and development of carbonate, siliciclastic and metamorphic naturally fractured reservoirs.

In this standard reference of the field, theoretical and experimental approaches to flow, hydrodynamic dispersion, and miscible displacements in porous media and fractured rock are considered. Two different approaches are discussed and contrasted with each other. The first approach is based on the classical equations of flow and transport, called 'continuum models'. The second approach is based on modern methods of statistical physics of disordered media; that is, on 'discrete models', which have become increasingly popular over the past 15 years. The book is unique in its scope, since (1) there is currently no book that compares the two approaches, and covers all important aspects of porous media problems; and (2) includes discussion of fractured rocks, which so far has been treated as a separate subject. Portions of the book would be suitable for an advanced undergraduate course. The book will be ideal for graduate courses on the subject, and can be used by chemical, petroleum, civil, environmental engineers, and geologists, as well as physicists, applied physicist and allied scientists that deal with various porous media problems.

The International Conference on Computational Science (ICCS 2004) held in Krak ́ ow, Poland, June 6–9, 2004, was a follow-up to the highly successful ICCS 2003 held at two locations, in Melbourne, Australia and St. Petersburg, Russia; ICCS 2002 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and ICCS 2001 in San Francisco, USA. As computational science is still evolving in its quest for subjects of inves- gation and e?cient methods, ICCS 2004 was devised as a forum for scientists from mathematics and computer science, as the basic computing disciplines and application areas, interested in advanced computational methods for physics, chemistry, life sciences, engineering, arts and humanities, as well as computer system vendors and software developers. The main objective of this conference was to discuss problems and solutions in all areas, to identify new issues, to shape future directions of research, and to help users apply various advanced computational techniques. The event harvested recent developments in com- tationalgridsandnextgenerationcomputingsystems,tools,advancednumerical methods, data-driven systems, and novel application ?elds, such as complex - stems, ?nance, econo-physics and population evolution.

Discover the powerful journey of self-discovery and resilience in Fractured Reflections. This emotionally charged novel follows Michael, a man struggling with dissociative identity disorder, as he battles the complexities of his fragmented mind. Faced with the stark realities of his past and the lingering presence of his alternate identities, Michael embarks on a courageous journey toward healing, understanding, and acceptance. Fractured Reflections is an unflinchingly honest portrayal of the human spirit, exploring themes of love, identity, and redemption. As Michael learns to confront the darker aspects of himself, he also learns to embrace his vulnerabilities and find strength in compassion—both for himself and for others. With vivid storytelling and poignant insight, this novel will take readers on an unforgettable journey of transformation and hope. Perfect for those who appreciate raw and deeply human stories, Fractured Reflections is a testament to the power of perseverance and the beauty of finding light even in the darkest of times.

The Mechanics of Adhesion shows that adhesion science and technology is inherently an interdisciplinary field, requiring fundamental understanding of mechanics, surfaces, and materials. This volume comprises 19 chapters. Starting with a background and introduction to stress transfer principles; fracture mechanics and singularities; and an energy approach to debonding, the volume continues with analysis of structural lap and butt joint configurations. It then continues with discussions of test methods for strength and constitutive properties; fracture; peel; coatings, the case of adhesion to a single substrate; elastomeric adhesives such as sealants. The role of mechanics in determining the locus of failure in bonded joints is discussed, followed by a chapter on rheology relevant to adhesives and sealants. Pressure sensitive adhesive performance; the principles of tack and tack measurements; and contact mechanics relevant to wetting and surface energy measurements are then covered. The volume concludes with sections on fibermatrix bonding and reinforcement; durability considerations for adhesive bonds; ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation of adhesive bonds; and design of adhesive bonds from a strength perspective. This book will be of interest to practitioners in the fields of engineering and to those with an interest in adhesion science.

This volume of twelve original essays is the first comprehensive study of feminist issues in Restoration drama. The late seventeenth century marks a pivotal era in the history of feminism, when Renaissance assumptions about gender and patriarchy were being directly challenged. For the first time, women appeared onstage as actresses, made their presence felt as spectators and patrons, and wrote a number of the plays produced in theaters. In an unusually direct and probing way, drama of the Restoration period raised radical questions about the place of women in the family and in society, and about the essential nature of men and women. The essays examine feminist issues from a variety of historical and theoretical approaches across a spectrum of plays—comedies, tragedies, tragicomedies, and heroic drama. By addressing the acute questions of gender raised in the drama, Broken Boundaries presents a vivid portrait of the uncertainties and changing perceptions in all areas of intellectual, political, and social life during the last decades of the seventeenth century.

An authoritative introduction to the science and engineering of bioinspired materials Bioinspired Materials Science and Engineering offers a comprehensive view of the science and engineering of bioinspired materials and includes a discussion of biofabrication approaches and applications of bioinspired materials as they are fed back to nature in the guise of biomaterials. The authors also review some biological compounds and shows how they can be useful in the engineering of bioinspired materials. With contributions from noted experts in the field, this comprehensive resource considers biofabrication, biomacromolecules, and biomaterials. The authors illustrate the bioinspiration process from materials design and conception to application of bioinspired materials. In addition, the text presents the multidisciplinary aspect of the concept, and contains a typical example of how knowledge is acquired from nature, and how in turn this information contributes to biological sciences, with an accent on biomedical applications. This important resource: Offers an introduction to the science and engineering principles for the development of bioinspired materials Includes a summary of recent developments on biotemplated formation of inorganic materials using natural templates Illustrates the fabrication of 3D-tumor invasion models and their potential application in drug assessments Explores electroactive hydrogels based on natural polymers Contains information on turning mechanical properties of protein hydrogels for biomedical applications Written for chemists, biologists, physicists, and engineers, Bioinspired Materials Science and Engineering contains an indispensible resource for an understanding of bioinspired materials science and engineering.