In the fall of 1983, arguably the coldest year of the decades-long Cold War, the world's greatest superpower invaded Grenada, a Marxist-led Caribbean nation the size of Atlanta. Why and how this unlikely one-week war was waged was shrouded in secrecy at the time--and has remained so ever since. This book is an overdue reconsideration of Operation Urgent Fury, based on historical evidence that only recently has been revealed in declassified documents, oral history interviews and memoir accounts. This chronological narrative emphasizes the human dimension of a sudden crisis now regarded as the greatest foreign policy challenge of President Ronald Reagan's first term. Because the American intervention was hastily drafted, many snafus and accidents marked the chaotic initial days of the operation. Inevitably it fell to individual soldiers, aviators and sailors to perform heroic acts to make up for faulty intelligence, inadequate communication or poor coordination. This work recounts their inspiring, underreported stories in filling out a more complete portrait of Operation Urgent Fury. The final chapter recounts the invasion's aftereffects, especially the unexpected role it played in Congressional reform of the military for future combat in the Middle East.
Resistance is futile. You can run, but you’ll only die tired. The AC-130 Gunship was quickly developed in 1968 to provide fire support for ground forces in Vietnam. Twenty-eight C-130 cargo aircraft were converted into AC-130s for night attack operations. The AC-130 was crude, ugly, ad hoc, and detested by many within the USAF…but it worked, and it worked well. Likewise, AC-130 crews were deemed unruly “biker gangs,” but performed magnificently in every major US military operation from 1976 to 1995. Most of these combat operations were cloaked in secrecy, but records once classified for up to twenty years have now been opened. Based on this newly declassified information and hundreds of interviews with SOF veterans, Ghostriders 1976-1995 is the first authoritative historical account of the AC-130 operations, written by an AC-130 Aerial Gunner who participated in every AC-130 combat operation from 1980 through 1994.
My wife and I took this book with us on a recent Yankee Clipper" cruise from Windjammer. The book was quite useful with good descriptions (usually a paragraph or two) of the accomodations and restaurants on the islands we visited (Grenada, Mayreau, Bequia, Carricou, Tobago Cays). The authors were very up front about the experiences they DIDN'T like which helped us to avoid frustration. The book also had a nicely organized table of contents which helped navigate the book quickly... This is an excellent guidebook for the area and is highly recommended." -- Matthew Clark (Amazon reviewer). A guide to St Vincent, Grenada and the Grenadines. It covers Mustique, Bequia, Palm Island, Tobago Cays, Carriacou, Mayreau, Petit St Vincent, St Vincent and Grenada, at the southern end of the Caribbean arc, just below St Lucia. St Vincent has the oldest botanical gardens in the Americas; on Bequia, some islanders still harpoon whales as their ancestors did; Grenada has pristine reefs and abundant natural beauty; and tiny Mustique, home to countless celebrities, has verdant mountains. The series of "Adventure Guides" are about living more intensely, waking up to your surroundings and truly experiencing all that you encounter. Each book offers a mix of practical travel information along with activities designed for everyone, no matter what their age or ability. Comprehensive background information - history, culture, geography and climate - presents a knowledge of each destination and its people. Regional chapters take you on an introductory tour, with stops at museums, historic sites and local attractions. The volumes also cover: places to stay and eat; transportation to, from and around your destination; practical concerns; useful websites; e-mail addresses; and tourism contacts. Detailed regional and town maps feature walking and driving tours. "This guide is immediate and thorough; it give a host of places and activities that could fulfill even the most bored tourist's desires. The book is salted with the kind of personal experience that makes visiting these islands so special. They take us away from palm beaches, island vistas and rugged emerald mountains and put us in touch with the people who inhabit these beautiful places. From fishermen in Barrouallie to Rastas in the Port Elizabeth market and a botanist in St. George's, we get a sense of the lives that entwine to make up the fabric of these islands. Also, each section begins with a history of the place at hand, so important to understanding the southern Windwards. The authors have produced a journeyman labor, a product of discernment and enterprise tempered with warmth and humor. Those of us who have seen the southern Windwards as a special place for so long have reason to be thankful and relieved."Paul Tyler, Caribbean Compass
On October 25, 1983, on orders from President Reagan, three AC-130H Spectre gunships flew combat missions in Operation Urgent Fury over the Caribbean island of Grenada. In their first operational live-fire outing since Vietnam, the gunships provided protective fire support and armed reconnaissance for two battalions from the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment making an airborne assault on the Point Salines Airport. Their primary objective was to rescue the U.S. citizens who were students at the nearby True Blue Campus of the St. George's University (SGU) School of Medicine. Flying non-stop from Hurlburt Field, FL, the gunships attacked with withering surgical firepower from their 20mm, 40mm, and 105mm guns to defeat small arms fire and silence Cuban and Grenadian anti-aircraft fire as the stream of MC-130 Combat Talon's and MAC C-130's airdropped the Rangers. After the airfield was secure, the Rangers and 82nd Airborne Division troops continued for the next seven days to pursue the enemy up the island toward the capitol, St. George's. The gunships provided "eye in the sky" armed reconnaissance with instant firepower available to them on request around the clock, eliminating several more key targets. The Spectre gunship's amazing performance at Grenada is an invaluable piece of Air Force history. This is not only a riveting account of the gunships as they "saved the day," it focuses on the gunship's weapon systems to explain how they work to get such awesome results.
By the bestselling author and XM and Sirius Satellite radio host heard on more than eighty radio stations coast to coast seven days a week Shows progressives how to master the science and technology of persuasive communication and counter the right-wing message machine Offers exercises and examples throughout to help readers put the concepts they’re learning into practice Millions of working Americans talk, act, and vote as if their economic interests match those of the megawealthy, the multinational corporations, and the politicians who do their bidding. How did this happen? According to Air America radio host Thom Hartmann, the apologists of the Right have become masters of the subtle and largely subconscious aspects of political communication. It’s not an escalation in Iraq, it’s a surge; it’s not the inheritance tax, it’s the death tax; it’s not drilling for oil, it’s exploring for energy. Conservatives didn’t intuit the path to persuasive messaging—they learned these techniques. There is no reason why progressives can’t learn them too. In Cracking the Code, Hartmann shows you how. Drawing on his background as a psychotherapist and advertising executive as well as a national radio host, he breaks down the science and technology of effective communication so you can apply it to your own efforts to counter right-wing disinformation. It’s both an art and a science—as Hartmann explains, political persuasion is as much about biology as ideology, about knowing how the brain processes information and how that influences the way people perceive messages, make decisions, and form a worldview. Throughout the book, Hartmann shows you precisely how to master this technology, providing examples dating back to the time of the Founding Fathers. As you read deeply in this book, you’ll see things you hadn’t realized were there—in everything from advertising to political rants—and discover abilities you didn’t know you had. Whether you’re a politician, an activist, a volunteer, or a concerned citizen, you’ll develop a strong sense for how to reach into that part of the collective human psyche where we truly do have the power to create a new world.
A stunning and definitive spice guide by the country’s most sought-after expert, with hundreds of fresh ideas and tips for using pantry spices, 102 never-before-published recipes for spice blends, gorgeous photography, and breathtaking botanical illustrations. Since founding his spice shop in 2006, Lior Lev Sercarz has become the go-to source for fresh and unusual spices as well as small-batch custom blends for renowned chefs around the world. The Spice Companion communicates his expertise in a way that will change how readers cook, inspiring them to try bold new flavor combinations and make custom spice blends. For each of the 102 curated spices, Lev Sercarz provides the history and origin, information on where to buy and how to store it, five traditional cuisine pairings, three quick suggestions for use (such as adding cardamom to flavor chicken broth), and a unique spice blend recipe to highlight it in the kitchen. Sumptuous photography and botanical illustrations of each spice make this must-have resource as beautiful as it is informative.
What makes a man sell all he owns and ride a motorcycle 22,000 miles from his hometown in upstate New York to the southernmost tip of South America? Some call it craziness; Latinos call it “cojones.” This funny, fast-paced narrative follows a young man in his search for meaning, adventure, and the best rum in Latin America. Battling rough roads, careening buses, and bribe-taking cops in 14 countries, he discovers breathtaking beauty as well as what it feels like to hit a truck head-on. He and his companions for much of the trip—two bikers he met over the Internet—form an unlikely and amusing trio. In the tradition of Road Fever and Motorcycle Diaries, Odyssey to Ushuaia is a riot for every reader, and absolutely essential for those planning a similar trip. Loaded with insider information such as how to bribe cops and not lose one's savings, how to cross a border without going crazy, how to handle an accident, and much more, it also features an appendix with the detailed trip lists from all three riders.
