In Nonel the author describes major events in the life of a young boy who grew up in Romania from 1939 1954. That was a period when the country switched from a monarchy (before 1947) to a communist dominated republic. The issues that affected Nonel during that period influenced his thought for the rest of his life. These experiences enabled the boy realize that as long as we continue to function, we must challenge lifes suffering and sorrows. Akin to our bodys attempts to heal, our mind must seek harmony and contentment. Perhaps we can amend for our trespasses not only by helping others, weaker than ourselves, but also by mending the distress in our lives and anguish of our souls. In essence, an evil person who attempts to accomplish good deeds all the time can confuse even God!

Rock Blasting and Explosives Engineering covers the practical engineering aspects of many different kinds of rock blasting. It includes a thorough analysis of the cost of the entire process of tunneling by drilling and blasting in comparison with full-face boring. Also covered are the fundamental sciences of rock mass and material strength, the thermal decomposition, burning, shock initiation, and detonation behavior of commercial and military explosives, and systems for charging explosives into drillholes. Functional descriptions of all current detonators and initiation systems are provided. The book includes chapters on flyrock, toxic fumes, the safety of explosives, and even explosives applied in metal working as a fine art. Fundamental in its approach, the text is based on the practical industrial experience of its authors. It is supported by an abundance of tables, diagrams, and figures. This combined textbook and handbook provides students, practitioners, and researchers in mining, mechanical, building construction, geological, and petroleum engineering with a source from which to gain a thorough understanding of the constructive use of explosives.

The 26th International Symposium on Shock Waves in Göttingen, Germany was jointly organised by the German Aerospace Centre DLR and the French-German Research Institute of Saint Louis ISL. The year 2007 marked the 50th anniversary of the Symposium, which first took place in 1957 in Boston and has since become an internationally acclaimed series of meetings for the wider Shock Wave Community. The ISSW26 focused on the following areas: Shock Propagation and Reflection, Detonation and Combustion, Hypersonic Flow, Shock Boundary Layer Interaction, Numerical Methods, Medical, Biological and Industrial Applications, Richtmyer Meshkov Instability, Blast Waves, Chemically Reacting Flows, Diagnostics, Facilities, Flow Visualisation, Ignition, Impact and Compaction, Multiphase Flow, Nozzles Flows, Plasmas and Propulsion. The two Volumes contain the papers presented at the symposium and serve as a reference for the participants of the ISSW 26 and individuals interested in these fields.