Taking It To The Hill

A moving and inspiring memoir from the first Iraq war veteran to be elected to the United States Congress Congressman Patrick J. Murphy, the Irish American son of a Philadelphia policeman and a former nun who raised their family in a tough-but-loving blue-collar neighborhood, grew out of a scrappy childhood to become a community college student and then—quickly—army officer, lawyer, and the youngest professor at West Point. He served in Iraq as a captain in the elite 82nd Airborne "All-Americans" where he earned a Bronze Star for service, and successfully prosecuted one of Muqtada al-Sadr's top lieutenants. Returning from Iraq with a determination to help change the direction of this country, Murphy, a political novice, ran an inspirational grassroots campaign against a popular Republican incumbent while being outspent by more than $2 million. Told with passion and candor, Taking the Hill is a powerful and moving tale of love for family and the belief that the American dream is still within reach. More than anything, Murphy's life demonstrates the joys and necessity of serving others, whether that means one's family or students, community or fellow soldiers, or one's nation.

Jared’s plane has crashed in the Alberta wilderness, and Kyle is first on the scene. When Jared insists on hiking up the highest hill in search of cell phone reception, Kyle hesitates; his Cree grandmother has always forbidden him to go near it. There’s no stopping Jared, though, so Kyle reluctantly follows. After a night spent on the hilltop—with no cell service—the teens discover something odd: the plane has disappeared. Nothing in the forest surrounding them seems right. In fact, things seem very wrong. And worst of all, something is hunting them. Karen Bass, the multi-award-winning author of Graffiti Knight and Uncertain Soldier, brings her signature action packed style to a chilling new subject: the Cree Wîhtiko legend. Inspired by the real story of a remote plane crash and by the legends of her Cree friends and neighbours, Karen brings eerie life—or perhaps something other than life—to the northern Alberta landscape in The Hill.

In the near future, a group of girls survive on their own on a reclaimed garbage dump they call home.

Keita Ali is on the run. Like every boy on the mountainous island of Zantoroland, running is all Keita’s ever wanted to do. In one of the poorest nations in the world, running means respect. Running means riches—until Keita is targeted for his father’s outspoken political views and discovers he must run for his family’s survival. He signs on with notorious marathon agent Anton Hamm, but when Keita fails to place among the top finishers in his first race, he escapes into Freedom State—a wealthy island nation that has elected a government bent on deporting the refugees living within its borders in the community of AfricTown. Keita can stay safe only if he keeps moving and eludes Hamm and the officials who would deport him to his own country, where he would face almost certain death. This is the new underground: a place where tens of thousands of people deemed to be “illegal” live below the radar of the police and government officials. As Keita surfaces from time to time to earn cash prizes by running local road races, he has to assess whether the people he meets are friends or enemies: John Falconer, a gifted student struggling to escape the limits of his AfricTown upbringing; Ivernia Beech, a spirited old woman at risk of being forced into an assisted living facility; Rocco Calder, a recreational marathoner and the immigration minister; Lula DiStefano, self-declared queen of AfricTown and madam of the community’s infamous brothel; and Viola Hill, a reporter who is investigating the lengths to which her government will go to stop illegal immigration. Keita’s very existence in Freedom State is illegal. As he trains in secret, eluding capture, the stakes keep getting higher. Soon, he is running not only for his life, but for his sister’s life, too. Fast moving and compelling, The Illegal casts a satirical eye on people who have turned their backs on undocumented refugees struggling to survive in a nation that does not want them. Hill’s depiction of life on the borderlands of society urges us to consider the plight of the unseen and the forgotten who live among us.

"No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great-Duty First!" For almost a century, from the Western Front of World War I to the deserts of Iraq, this motto has spurred the soldiers who wear the shoulder patch bearing the Big Red One. In this first comprehensive history of America's 1st Infantry Division, James Scott Wheeler chronicles its major combat engagements and peacetime duties during its legendary service to the nation. The oldest continuously serving division in the U.S. Army, the "Fighting First" has consistently played a crucial role in America's foreign wars. It was the first American division to see combat and achieve victory in World War I and set the standard for discipline, training, endurance, and tactical innovation. One of the few intact divisions between the wars, it was the first army unit to train for amphibious warfare. During World War II, the First Division spearheaded the invasions of North Africa and Sicily before leading the Normandy invasion at Omaha Beach and fighting on through the Hurtgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, the Ruhr Pocket, and deep into Germany. By war's end, it had developed successful combined-arms, regimental combat teams and made advances in night operations. Wheeler describes the First Division's critical role in postwar Germany and as the only combat division in Europe during the early Cold War. After returning to the United States at Fort Riley, Kansas, the division fought valiantly in Vietnam for five trying years, successfully protecting Saigon from major infiltration along Highway 13 while pioneering "air-mobile" operations. It led the liberation of Kuwait in Desert Storm and kept an uneasy peace in Bosnia and Kosovo. Along the way, Wheeler illuminates the division's organizational evolution, its consistently remarkable commanders and leaders, and its equally remarkable soldiers. Meticulously detailed and engagingly written, The Big Red One nimbly combines historical narrative with astute analysis of the unit's successes and failures, so that its story reflects the larger chronicle of America's military experience over the past century.

Genetic Algorithms in Java Basics is a brief introduction to solving problems using genetic algorithms, with working projects and solutions written in the Java programming language. This brief book will guide you step-by-step through various implementations of genetic algorithms and some of their common applications, with the aim to give you a practical understanding allowing you to solve your own unique, individual problems. After reading this book you will be comfortable with the language specific issues and concepts involved with genetic algorithms and you'll have everything you need to start building your own. Genetic algorithms are frequently used to solve highly complex real world problems and with this book you too can harness their problem solving capabilities. Understanding how to utilize and implement genetic algorithms is an essential tool in any respected software developers toolkit. So step into this intriguing topic and learn how you too can improve your software with genetic algorithms, and see real Java code at work which you can develop further for your own projects and research. Guides you through the theory behind genetic algorithms Explains how genetic algorithms can be used for software developers trying to solve a range of problems Provides a step-by-step guide to implementing genetic algorithms in Java