The story of Vietnam veteran, quality consultant, and musician John R. Black, who rose from his childhood on a rural homestead to serve his country in the United States Army, including two tours in Vietnam. After a subsequent career at Boeing, Black became a globally recognized quality and Lean production consultant, most notably transferring the proven techniques of manufacturing quality improvement to revolutionize healthcare in the United States, Canada, and internationally. With frank language and humor, he reveals the hidden stories behind his professional success, tracing his earliest influences-from the joys of a close-knit family to abuse by a Catholic priest-through his family life, his wartime experiences, his return to music as a means of healing Vietnam wounds, and his current focus as a performing artist with an international following of fellow Vietnam vets. Read an excerpt: An pilot who was a friend of mine was replaced by an Air Force captain who drank a fifth a night. His hands shook every morning, and one day that seemed to catch up with him. He went to the airfield for a flight over the province but forgot to gas up his plane, an L-19 Bird Dog. How could a trained Air Force pilot flying in Vietnam in 1967 forget to make sure his airplane was fueled before taking off on a mission? Well, the military had given Cessna a challenge: The plane had to be capable of taking off and landing over a 50-foot obstacle in less than 600 feet at its maximum allowable gross weight. The plane that resulted from these specs, Cessna's Model 305, became known as the L-19 Bird Dog. During the Vietnam War it was used mostly for reconnaissance, finding targets or adjusting artillery, escorting convoys, and providing forward air control for tactical aircraft such as bombers It would later be renamed the O-1, with the O standing for observation, until the Army officially retired it in 1974. The Bird Dog was aptly named. I flew a number of those flights over Go Cong province seated in the rear observation seat. If you were flying slowly over the province, it was easier for the passenger to search for and locate enemy ground positions. When we found the enemy- we hoped that was who it was, but in free-fire zones we usually knew who it was-the passenger would radio in that position to bring in artillery fire, for example. As a result, when the VC spotted a Bird Dog flying low overhead, they might expect that something might soon happen. The plane was vulnerable to ground fire, but the VC would not always take a shot because then they'd definitely be revealing their position. A Bird Dog passenger in another province who came into the country about the time I did took a round in his seat but was able to recover.Luckily I didn't get in that seat one early morning with this particular Air Force pilot, who was stone cold drunk. I said, "I'm getting out here and will take your picture as you take off." A movie clip of that takeoff would have shown a very brief taxi and takeoff but a great image of what followed. When he got to the end of the runway, the engine quit and the plane took a nosedive right into the swamp. I helped the pilot out of the cockpit, as I recall, and when he started to walk away, I said, "What are you doing?" "I'm going back to bed," he told me, and he walked back to the billets. When he woke up he was told he was relieved of duty as soon as his Seagram's hangover wore off

Walt and Maggie are off to Hawaii to tie the knot, but Lady Justice never takes a break - not even for weddings or vacations. Ancient artifacts, political zealots and a tiny lizard drag the honeymooners from their posh hotel into a sacred burial cave in the caldera of an extinct volcano. Willie and Mary join the newlyweds for a tropical adventure filled with intriguing mystery and off-the-wall humor. Come along and see what happens when Lady Justice Gets Lei'd!

Learn to embrace the adversity in your life--and be happier. Women today face bigger personal challenges than ever before. Balancing increasing responsibilities at work while managing a household and caring for children--and more and more often grandparents--is enough to drive anyone to the edge. But every bad boss, souring relationship, and personal struggle is a chance to test your own strengths and resourcefulness. Tears to Triumph shares a new framework that will help move you beyond just surviving. Here, real women share their stories of triumph over life's difficult and sometimes tricky, unfair hardships. Most importantly, it shows you how to use your own adversities as a blueprint for future success. You will learn: • How to identify the lesson in the moment • The cause of stressful behaviors--and the solutions • What to look for, how to react, and where to go for more help • Specific ways to insure emotional, interpersonal, and career success • Identify your success pattern based on your unique experience You can be happy and live a healthy, fulfilling life while rising to meet today's difficult challenges. Dawn Marie Daniels is the editorial force behind a number of award-winning authors, and has utilized her position to ensure that African American projects get the attention they deserve. Daniels has established a commanding presence in adult nonfiction with such books as In the Meantime and One Day My Soul Just Opened Up, both New York Times bestsellers by Iyanla Vanzant. Candace Sandy is the President of Candace Sandy Communications, a multi-media cooperative that targets women. For eleven years, she has also served as the Communications Director for Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY). Sandy has conducted celebrity radio interviews with stars such as Pam Grier, Stevie Wonder, and Will Smith.

More and more fathers are asserting themselves and actively taking part in changing diapers, attending doctor's appointments, participating in PTA meetings and helping with homework. The 67 truths, tears and triumphs detailed in this book explain how dads are becoming more involved parents without sacrificing their masculinity. Dads of different socio-economic backgrounds, races and family structures candidly describe successes they have achieved as actively, involved parents and how they felt about them. Their honest, heart-warming, and humorous stories provide an in-depth look into how fatherhood has changed. They are "Dads Behaving DADLY."

Photographer Bruce Weber intended to create a book of fashion photographs, however, as he became more involved in the process, his intention evolved into the desire to chronicle how fashion can be seen in nature, architecture, and the human spirit.

Provides information about the immigration station in New York harbor, along with fictionalized accounts of the people who came through or worked there.

for saxophone quartetA slow movement which explores the beautiful sonorities of saxophones played softly.

Annette Stanzione was born into a Catholic-Italian family in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx in the 1950s. In Through My Laughter and Tears, Annette relays anecdotes from her childhood to her first job working for the FBI, becoming a paralegal at forty-seven, getting married and then divorced, raising two daughters, dating, living upstate for three decades, and then eventually returning home to the Bronx. Annette's story is an engaging mix of humor and gravitas as she wends her way through triumphs and difficulties. Although she's still looking for love -- and loving the process of finding it -- she perseveres with charm, wit, and warmth. You'll be drawn into Annette's world and wish she was your best friend.