Author: Clark E. Adams
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 1603440356
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 129
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Book Description
Covered by Wide World of Sports, National Public Radio, and National Geographic, Texas rattlesnake roundups like those in Sweetwater, Texas, draw both fascinated tourists and irate protesters. Begun as an organized form of predator control in the 1920s, for many years rattlesnake roundups have been promoted as community events and civic fundraisers. The western diamond-backed rattlesnake is the main attraction, with pits full of thousands of writhing rattlesnakes serving as the featured spectacle. Often taking advantage of the animals' denning behavior to capture large numbers at a time, hunters deliver live snakes to commercial dealers who are contracted by event organizers to supply the animals as a source of entertainment: from snake handling and snake races to snake sacking, snake skinning, snake milking, and snake education activities. Rattlesnake products of various types are also sold and consumed at the events. In this close-up look at rattlesnake roundups in Texas, Clark E. Adams and John K. Thomas present perhaps the first full description of this social and environmental phenomenon, tracking its popularity, its participants, its opponents, its impact on the communities where it occurs, and, as much as is possible, its effects on the rattlesnake itself. In recent years, the commercial trade in Texas animals has emerged as a serious and controversial issue, and the number of roundups has declined sharply. Texas Rattlesnake Roundups promises to provide a balanced starting point for all those interested in knowing more about this curious custom.
Author: John D. Broadwater
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 1603447490
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 130
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Book Description
A hundred and fifty years ago, naval warfare entered a new phase with the introduction of ironclad vessels. On March 9, 1862, the USS Monitor, prototype of this new class of warships, fought the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads, Virginia, after the Virginia had ravaged the Union fleet blockading the James River, sinking larger, seemingly more powerful wooden warships in a potent demonstration of the power of an armored, heavily-gunned, steam-powered warship. In the world’s first clash between iron-armored warships, Monitor and Virginia exchanged gunfire at close range for nearly four hours. Neither inflicted serious damage on the other. While a technical stalemate, the events at Hampton Roads changed naval warfare forever. In the United States and abroad, iron and steam would soon replace wood and sail for warship construction. Less than nine months later, the now-famous Monitor was under tow, heading south to Beaufort, North Carolina, when she sank in heavy seas, with substantial loss of life. Monitor was a total and irretrievable loss; even the location of her final resting place became a mystery. Not until 1973 was the inverted hull located, and in 1974 excavation of the wreck began, under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in partnership with the US Navy. The decision to place the Monitor in a protected zone—a national marine sanctuary—marked another historic first for the vessel. The story of this decision, the raising of the turret, and the subsequent management of the historic resource adds another layer of history to the Monitor’s fascinating story. Sidebars in the book flesh out details and add anecdotal color to the story of Monitor and of the efforts to preserve and interpret the site. Lavish illustrations (photographs, site drawings, and artifact sketches) complement the informative and highly readable account by the archaeologist who planned and directed the major expeditions that resulted in recovery of many of the Monitor’s most significant objects, as well as the remains of two Union soldiers who were only recently interred in Arlington National Cemetery, more than 150 years after their deaths.
Author: Kent Horner
Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc
ISBN: 1662407696
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 229
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Book Description
John LaRue was professor of herpetology at Louisiana State University when a green anaconda wrapped around him one night at John’s previous research place. The LSU professor was rescued by Jacob Gigue, his assistant. Both were guarding the Atchafalaya River Basin from constrictor snakes transported from the Everglades of Florida by a narcissistic criminal parading within academic circles as an international scientist. The fracas between John and Andre Bennelli began one night six years earlier. Then Bennelli had taunted John unmercifully by fondling his female associate, stomping to death his injured pet laughing seagull, degrading John’s truck, and finally hitting John with a triple knotted table napkin. As a result, John gave Bennelli an elbow smash that stumbled him into an antique Coke machine thirty feet across the floor of the Gumbo House restaurant in Saint Martinsville. The narcissistic, double-jointed, and athletic Bennelli never got over losing that fight with John, previously crippled from an accident initiated by a new employee dropping John into a pile of steel girders from a bucket crane of a Shell oil rig located in the Gulf of Mexico. However, Bennelli, after gaining consciousness, asked John to make a life-for-life sporting bet on which one would die first. Bennelli bet John that he would run him and his wife crazy before he finally killed John and molested Lisa LaFay, John’s wife-to-be later. Lisa, a struggling student nurse, had formerly waited tables at Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans and been given much money in gratuities—for favors—to Bennelli’s no avail. To fulfill his narcissistic need for dominance over John and Lisa, Bennelli used techniques taught him by Gypsies passing through Dusseldorf, Germany. Raised north of Paris, France, Andre developed a fetish for snakes when he learned in biology class that snakes had no shoulders. Bennelli used the cultural global warming controversy to show mind control, feeding his narcissistic need for such. Consequently, Bennelli put out pythons on the Natchez Trace; the Nottoway Plantation; near White Castle, Louisiana, the Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee, and within the Little Pigeon River that runs through Gatlinburg, Tennessee, near the Pancake Pantry. Finally, Bennelli, disguised as a juggling clown, succumbed in an unsuspecting manner at the Opp Rattlesnake Rodeo in Opp, Alabama. Oddly, Bennelli had requested that Dr. Cabbot, his psychiatrist, and John act as coexecutors and see that his body was buried in the family wine vineyard in France.
Author: Laurence Monroe Klauber
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN:
Category : Rattlesnakes
Languages : en
Pages : 830
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Book Description
Author: Joyce Hart
Publisher: Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 1627132376
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 82
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Book Description
The titles in this popular series includes a variety of features that will help students learn about the state of Alabama. This comprehensive book outlines the geography, history, people, government, and economy of the state. Lists of key people, events, cities, plants and animals, and political figures, plus fact boxes and quotes, provide easily accessible information that is supplemented by activities such as crafts, recipes, and a map quiz. Historic photos, artwork, and other images enhance the text. All books in the It's My State! ® series are the definitive research tool for readers looking to know the ins and outs of a specific state, including comprehensive coverage of its history, people, culture, geography, economy and government.
Author: Eddie Jones
Publisher: Dry Bones Publishing
ISBN: 164526906X
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 226
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Book Description
In Deadwood, Nick Caden discovers the body of Billy the Kid. Is there a "ghost killer" running loose in this Old West ghost town? It's all for show...right? Nothing more than Hollywood theatrics? "This is an authentic Old West ghost town," the sheriff tells Nick. "Around these parts the dead don't stay dead." But Nick Caden's vacation becomes a nightmare when this "living" ghost town takes a deadly turn toward trouble. Soon Nick finds himself trapped in a stable with the infamous outlaw Jesse James. The shooter whirls, aims and... vanishes. Great theatrics, Nick thinks. Only then does he discover the body of a real dead cowboy. Soon Nick is caught in a deadly chase—from an abandoned gold mine, through forbidden buffalo hunting grounds, and across Rattlesnake Gulch—around every turn he finds another suspect. Will Nick solve the murder before his family leaves Deadwood? Or will the town's desperate need for tourists' income bury the haunting truth that a "ghost killer" stalks the living in Deadwood? In this middle-grade murder mystery series, award-winning author Eddie Jones takes readers on a Wild, Wild, West ride. ★ 2013 Selah Award Finalist for Middle Grade Fiction ★ Parents can trust the Caden Chronicles. There are no sexual situations, violence, or strong language, only positive moral values.
Author: Andrew Bridge
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 244
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Book Description
The Child Catcher is the true story of the fight to rescue the children confined to a violent and secretive institution in the rural South. Andrew Bridge’s bestselling memoir, Hope’s Boy, told the story of his survival after he was taken from his mother, who struggled with schizophrenia, and was left to foster care. Bridge was first confined at one of our country’s most notorious children’s institutions, MacLaren Hall. Now, in The Child Catcher, he chronicles his role in the longest-running, most bitterly fought mental health lawsuit in American history. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Bridge joined the small team of civil rights lawyers representing the children of the Eufaula Adolescent Center, a violent and secretive institution in the rural South, against the State of Alabama. Eufaula was a place Alabama had refused to surrender. Parents were lured into sending their children there, unable to get them back. Thousands of children went through Eufaula, just as thousands went through the institution that Bridge survived as a boy. The fight for justice led him through squatters’ camps in backwoods and into the lives of families caught in a permanent underclass. He sat with children as they struggled to explain what had gone wrong in their lives. In this David and Goliath battle, The Child Catcher is the story of Bridge’s personal redemption and the hope that justice for children is possible.
Author: Mike Blackwood
Publisher: Page Publishing Inc
ISBN: 1684096405
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 427
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Book Description
You may come to the same conclusion another reader came to when I was in the early process of simply sending my stories out to gauge the interest of a potential book. She said, "You have led a charmed life." My first reaction was, "Are you nuts?" The fact is, although I grew up differently than almost all of you, I haven't had a charmed life, believe me. That sounds like in some way I have been "lucky" that I haven't experienced hardships, pain, or defeat. Nothing could be further from the truth. But I will tell you what is true, I have had a blessed life. Through it all, the Lord has kept me above my trials and tribulations, even when I didn't believe He was there. Through disappointment, death, disease, He was there. I truly believe that we all have choices to make in life. You can allow disappointments and discouragement in life to make you bitter, or you can use them to make you better. That's why I titled this book Sunny Side Up. It's how you view your circumstances and how you use them that make us who we are. To me, it's always been that simple, and before you ask, no, I am not a Southern version of Tony Robbins. I am just telling you the way I see it. So with that being said, I hope you will find some of these short stories humorous. I hope a few of them will give you pause to appreciate your blessings and one or two that will tug at your heartstrings to encourage you to be a better friend and neighbor. I know that some of these stories, if not all, will seem far-fetched or unbelievable to many of you, but like I said, I grew up differently than most of you, and my experiences in this life, to say it bluntly, are unbelievable in themselves. But this book really isn't about me at all; I am just a storyteller. I love telling stories about characters with character, and there are plenty of both in the stories before you. And before I forget, on behalf of my German shepherd Sadie and my black Lab Doc and myself, thank you for buying this book. We greatly appreciate it.
Author: Ira Milligan
Publisher: Destiny Image Publishers
ISBN: 0768490618
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 252
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Book Description
Jesus said, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19 KJV). The best selling author, Ira Milligan brings you The Scorpion Within. This book is an excellent guide to the root causes of sin and how you can eliminate them to overcome strongholds in your life. It also exposes the demonic influence that satan wields upon humankind. Even longtime believers may be surprised at some activities that put them at risk of demonic control. The Scorpion Within: • Reveals eight demonic roots of sin. • Uses the scorpion to show you intriguing things about yourself. • Explains how the eight eyes of the scorpion correspond to eight desires of the flesh and the carnal mind. • Describes how the scorpion’s legs represent eight roots of sin, or attitudes. • Severs the scorpion’s legs and renders it powerless to fulfill its wicked desires. With over 40 years of Bible study and active ministry, author Ira Milligan defines the Anatomy of a Scorpion in an orderly, understandable way so that both counselors and those who need counseling will receive inner healing and deliverance. Receive your victory today as you realize that satan has no hold over a believer who knows his deceitful tactics—and trusts God to overcome all of life’s challenges.
Author: Marin Thomas
Publisher: Harlequin
ISBN: 0373755309
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 217
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Book Description
He Never Expected To See Her Again! When Mack Cash's mysterious one-night stand shows up at the dude ranch where he works, he is stunned. And just as he suspected during their night together, Beth Richards is no buckle bunny, despite the getup she was wearing. Instead, she's just the kind of woman he's looking for--sexy, sure, but also down-home and whip-smart. Mack's obvious attraction is just the boost Beth was looking for after a hurtful divorce. She loves the way he looks at her--and sees her. Except for one thing. He wants a family, and Beth can only disappoint him. She's already failed at love once and she can't go through it again. That's why she has to let Mack go....
