Impotent Warriors

From September 1990 to June 1991, the UK deployed 53,462 military personnel in the Gulf War. After the end of the conflict anecdotal reports of various disorders affecting troops who fought in the Gulf began to surface. This mysterious illness was given the name “Gulf War Syndrome” (GWS). This book is an investigation into this recently emergent illness, particularly relevant given ongoing UK deployments to Iraq, describing how the illness became a potent symbol for a plethora of issues, anxieties, and concerns. At present, the debate about GWS is polarized along two lines: there are those who think it is a unique, organic condition caused by Gulf War toxins and those who argue that it is probably a psychological condition that can be seen as part of a larger group of illnesses. Using the methods and perspective of anthropology, with its focus on nuances and subtleties, the author provides a new approach to understanding GWS, one that makes sense of the cultural circumstances, specific and general, which gave rise to the illness.

From September 1990 to June 1991, the UK deployed 53,462 military personnel in the Gulf War. After the end of the conflict anecdotal reports of various disorders affecting troops who fought in the Gulf began to surface. This mysterious illness was given the name “Gulf War Syndrome” (GWS). This book is an investigation into this recently emergent illness, particularly relevant given ongoing UK deployments to Iraq, describing how the illness became a potent symbol for a plethora of issues, anxieties, and concerns. At present, the debate about GWS is polarized along two lines: there are those who think it is a unique, organic condition caused by Gulf War toxins and those who argue that it is probably a psychological condition that can be seen as part of a larger group of illnesses. Using the methods and perspective of anthropology, with its focus on nuances and subtleties, the author provides a new approach to understanding GWS, one that makes sense of the cultural circumstances, specific and general, which gave rise to the illness.

From September 1990 to June 1991, the UK deployed 53,462 military personnel in the Gulf War. After the end of the conflict anecdotal reports of various disorders affecting troops who fought in the Gulf began to surface. This mysterious illness was given the name “Gulf War Syndrome” (GWS). This book is an investigation into this recently emergent illness, particularly relevant given ongoing UK deployments to Iraq, describing how the illness became a potent symbol for a plethora of issues, anxieties, and concerns. At present, the debate about GWS is polarized along two lines: there are those who think it is a unique, organic condition caused by Gulf War toxins and those who argue that it is probably a psychological condition that can be seen as part of a larger group of illnesses. Using the methods and perspective of anthropology, with its focus on nuances and subtleties, the author provides a new approach to understanding GWS, one that makes sense of the cultural circumstances, specific and general, which gave rise to the illness.

As seen in military documents, medical journals, novels, films, television shows, and memoirs, soldiers’ invisible wounds are not innate cracks in individual psyches that break under the stress of war. Instead, the generation of weary warriors is caught up in wider social and political networks and institutions—families, activist groups, government bureaucracies, welfare state programs—mediated through a military hierarchy, psychiatry rooted in mind-body sciences, and various cultural constructs of masculinity. This book offers a history of military psychiatry from the American Civil War to the latest Afghanistan conflict. The authors trace the effects of power and knowledge in relation to the emotional and psychological trauma that shapes soldiers’ bodies, minds, and souls, developing an extensive account of the emergence, diagnosis, and treatment of soldiers’ invisible wounds.

Toxic Airs brings together historians of medicine, environmental historians, historians of science and technology, and interdisciplinary scholars to address atmospheric issues on a spectrum of scales from body to place to planet. The chapters analyze airborne and atmospheric threats posed to humans, and contributors demonstrate how conceptions of toxicity have evolved and how humans have both created and mitigated toxins in the air. Specific topics discussed include medieval beliefs in the pestilent breath of witches, malarial theory in India, domestic and military use of tear gas, Gulf War Syndrome, Los Angeles smog, automotive emissions control, the epidemiological effects of air pollution, transboundary air pollution, ozone depletion, the contributions of contemporary artists to climate awareness, and the toxic history of carbon “die”-oxide. Overall, the essays provide a wide-ranging historical study of interest to students and scholars of many disciplines.

Just Middle Manager is traveling to the celestial city of influence to be renamed Next Great Leader. But what is a great leader? Is there one style of leadership or many? These questions and many more weigh on both Just Middle Managers back and his heart as he sets out to follow his dream. Just Middle Manager is the story every leader should read, bringing to life the archetypes of Carl Jung into the real world of leadership style. Just Middle Manager is brought face-to-face with typical leader archetypes like ruler and warrior but also discovers nuggets of truth from the lesser known destroyer, lover, and orphan. Reading this enchanting fable that is more than just another boring business book will challenge you: Just Middle Manager or Next Great Leader? What other leaders* are saying about Just Middle Manager: Next Great Leader Leader InnocentProvides leadership hope Leader OrphanWords warning leaders Leader WarriorProvides discipline for leaders Leader CaregiverHelps leaders Leader SeekerA great adventure for all leaders Leader LoverA leadership book to embrace Leader DestroyerTeaches leaders how to let go Leader CreatorInspires leaders to be creative Leader RulerWell-organized thoughts for leaders Leader MagicianTransforming words for leaders Leader SageNuggets of wisdom for leaders Leader JesterA great and fun story for leaders *Not familiar with these twelve leaders? Allow them to introduce themselves through the story of Just Middle Manager: Next Great Leader. When you finish, you may find one or two of them may actually be you!

Jack Johnston is an ordinary bloke with a seemingly ordinary lifeuntil the day he feels a jolt, sees a bright light, and hears the words: The Department of Truth. He finds himself suddenly propelled on a mystical roller coaster ride through unfamiliar and magical landscapes, and begins to learn about life, people, and his own personal longings. This young Australian man while wandering in strange lands meets different kinds of people, each with their own unique cultures and views of life. Jack also visits deeper realities where he explores the human condition, his own thought processes, and the path to faith, which challenge him to learn and grow. Join Jack on his existential ride through life, and the poignant tale of his search, with giants, talking doorways, new worlds, magic carpets and wise new friends