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The Real Gorbals Story: True Tales from Glasgow's Meanest Streets
by Colin MacFarlaneColin MacFarlane was born in the Gorbals in the 1950s, 20 years after the publication of No Mean City, the classic novel about pre-war life in what was once Glasgow's most deprived district. He lived in the same street as its fictional 'razor king', Johnnie Stark, and subsequently realised that a lot of the old characters represented in the book were still around as late as the 1960s. Men still wore bunnets and played pitch and toss; women still treated the steamie as their social club. The razor gangs were running amok once again, and filth, violence, crime, rats, poverty and drunkenness abounded, just like they did in No Mean City.MacFarlane witnessed the last days of the old Gorbals as a major regeneration programme, begun in 1961, was implemented, and, as a street boy, he had a unique insight into a once great community in rapid decline. In this engrossing book, MacFarlane reveals what it was really like to live in the old Gorbals.
Salsa for People Who Probably Shouldn't
by Matt RendellEvery week for much of the year, millions of Brits view and vote on Strictly Come Dancing, with the salsa being one of the most popular dances. Dark, enticing Afro-Caribbean rhythms; moving bodies gently interlaced, responding to the music: at first sight, salsa dancing seems to recover something our regimented British lives suppress. For not much more than a fiver, salsa can reconnect us with our bodies. So we seem to think: with perhaps a million Britons taking a class every week, salsa is statistically our national dance.Matt Rendell learned salsa the British way, as an adult, rote-learning figures and routines. His Colombian wife, Vivi, acquired salsa in early childhood from her parents and grandparents; the dance made her part of her community.A love story about two people from cultures at sometimes comical cross-purposes, Salsa for People Who Probably Shouldn't explores how the world's most popular dance went global, how it reached the UK and whether the saucy, salacious salsa of our national fantasy life is really as exotic as we like to think.
Triumph and Tragedy: Welsh Sporting Legends
by Peter JacksonThis collection of revealing profiles captures the essence of a galaxy of Welsh world-beaters from across the sporting spectrum: athletics, boxing, cricket, football, golf, horse racing, motor racing, rugby union, rugby league and tennis. Those featured include arguably the best Welsh rugby union player of the twentieth century; the greatest bowler never to play for England; the farmer's boy who became a master golfer; the Cardiff boy from Splott who made such a name for himself in Hull that they named a thoroughfare after him; the 'Gentle Giant' from Swansea still revered in Italy some 50 years after his last match for Juventus; the only post-war Welsh jockey to win the Grand National twice; and the unsung hero from the Rhondda who became the saviour of Manchester United in the weeks after the Munich air disaster. Their stories, based on exclusive interviews and coloured with anecdotes, will inspire future generations to believe that nothing is impossible.
Air: The Breath of Life (Nature's Gift Ser.)
by Jan de VriesPollution is an ever-growing threat to our planet and manifests itself most dramatically in its impact on the natural environment which surrounds us. But just as trees are dying daily because of environmental pollution, so too are humans suffering. Air pollution has led directly to an increase in asthma, bronchitis and other related respitory complaints. In Air: The Breath of Life, Jan de Vries calls upon his vast experience in dealing with respiratory problems to guide his readers on how best to assist our own immune system in combating the worst effects of pollution.
Healing in the 21st Century: Complementary Medicine and Modern Life
by Jan de VriesBased on the combined works and extensive knowledge of Jan de Vries, Dr Carl Heede and Marie-Louise Schicht, this book provides guidelines on how to treat diseases associated with modern society. The author suggests that many of the diseases must be addressed in a new way - in treating twenty-first century diseases, a twenty-first century approach is needed. At the same time, de Vries reminds us of the great scientific pioneers of the past whi understood and used the gift s of nature to alleviate human suffering. He explores the possibility of going back to the grass roots of medicine in order to regain good health. Healing in the 21st century will be an eye-opener for those working in the medical profession. The author demonstrates that a multi-disciplinary approach, combining orthodox and conventional, old and new, medicine is not only possible but necessary. Part of the successful Jan de Vries Healthcare series, this book is an outstanding and authoritative manual, a must for anybody interested in attaining and maintaining good health.
Hidden Dangers in What We Eat and Drink: A Lifelong Guide to Healthy Living
by Jan de VriesHIDDEN DANGERS IN WHAT WE EAT AND DRINK deals succinctly with the hazards that growing children, teenagers and adults are exposed to. Food and drink today contain many additives, E numbers and other hidden dangers that could affect people physically, mentally and emotionally. The growth in the problems of hyperactivity and autism are just two examples of the perils of an unbalanced food pattern. This book contains advice on food and dietary management, highlights the potential problems with what we consume and provides sensible advice on how to adjust our food pattern accordingly when certain problems arise. The immune system is very complex and depends on the nutritional values necessary for energy and vitality. In today's fast moving society, there are many convenience foods available. These foods can ultimately damage the immune system and, as such, there is a great need for more natural input in order to get the right output, namely healthy living. This carefully researched book gives the opportunity for the readers to help themselves to improved health through making wise choices regarding food and drink.
How to Live a Healthy Life: A Handbook to Better Health
by Jan de VriesHow to Live a Healthy Life is an indispensable handbook which outlines the approach to health of one of the world's foremost homoeopaths, Jan de Vries. It gives sensible and easy-to-follow advice on a huge number of subjects, ranging from maintaining a healthy liver and building strong bones to how to follow a well-balanced and nutritious diet and cope with stress.
A Step at a Time: The Autobiography of the World-Renowned Health Guru
by Jan de VriesAlthough Jan de Vries finds himself too young for an autobiography, many of his friends and patients have pushed for it. A Step At A Time recounts de Vries' amazing journey so far, beginning with his upbringing in Holland - during which he experienced the 'hunger winter' of 1944 - and charting the development of his amazing 40 year career, throughout which he earned a reputation as an enduring guru of alternative medicine.This gripping and highly entertaining book reveals much about the man and why so many turn to him in his role as a respected homeopathic doctor. Whether it is royalty, film stars, sportsmen or the general public, his clinics are all greatly overbooked, making it difficult at times to get an appointment with him. What is the secret of 'the man with the x-ray eyes', who he sees many things that others do not. Is this an extra sense, intuition, or just the experience of over 40 years of dealing with people medically? In almost 40 books written by him in his life so far, de Vries has shared a great deal of his knowledge with the world, which he has gathered by himself via independent research, and through consultation with his great teachers. However, in A Step At The Time, he reveals some of the secrets that people have always wanted to know, such as how he can consistently work over 90 hours per week and manage ten clinics throughout Britain. In this candid autobiography, he shares some of the gifts that were given to him and for which he is very thankful.
Jan de Vries: A Life in Healing
by Jan de VriesJan de Vries: A Life in Healing is the complete life story of the world-renowned health guru. It recounts his journey from childhood in wartime Holland through an amazing 50-year career, during which he has earned a global reputation as a leader in the field of alternative medicine.De Vries has encountered many obstacles in his fight to achieve recognition for the benefits of alternative medicine and he was once even threatened with imprisonment. Throughout these struggles he has remained true to his principles and his success can be measured by the large number of conventional doctors who have come to support his work.In this extraordinary autobiography, de Vries also looks back over his long and fruitful working relationship with Alfred Vogel, the famous Swiss naturopath. De Vries was the only person to whom Vogel taught his unique healing methods and he shares many of the secrets and methods he learned from this remarkable man.Jan de Vries has helped hundreds of thousands of patients during his long career and in this absorbing account he includes invaluable advice for daily living and achieving good physical, mental and spiritual health.
Migraine and Epilepsy
by Jan de VriesJan de Vries, although trained as a pharmacist, turned to alternative medicine early in his career. His most influential teacher was the world-renowned Swiss doctor, Alfred Vogel. He now works in Ayrshire in one of Britain's most widely known clinics.
The Miracle of Life
by Jan de VriesIn this controversial book Jan de Vries considers modern miracles as well as the 'miracle of Lourdes'. He discusses witch doctors and what he has personally witnessed in the Far East. He warns against exorcism and talks of the many 'possessed' people he has treated. He also shares with his readers some of the mysterious ways that alternative medicine has worked 'miracles' for thousands of patients.
Mother and Child
by Jan de VriesMOTHER AND CHILD is the long awaited follow up to Jan's phenomenally successful Preganancy and Childbirth and the next instalment in his excellent Well Woman series. In Mother and Child Jan De Vries focuses on the first crucial years of a child's life and explores the unique relationship that develops between mother and child in these formative years. The book comprises practical advice for new mothers dealing with the stress of their first baby and gives suggestions on how to recognise and treat the many diseases to which children are prone in their early years. There is also valuable advice on child healthcare and covers everything from sleep disorders to breastfeeding. Not only is Jan De Vries a professional authority on alternative healthcare, but he is also a father of four and grandfather of ten. Jan De Vries was born in 1937 and after initially graduating in pharmacy he soon moved on to study alternative medicine. He set up his first clinic in Troon in 1970 and today has clinics in Edinburgh, London, Belfast, Dublin and Manchester. Writing extensively on the value of alternative medicine and the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, he also lectures throughout the world and makes regular television and radio appearances.
The Pharmacy Guide to Herbal Remedies
by J VriesThe Pharmacy Guide to Herbal Remedies is the first in a series of books by Jan de Vries. It is written with a common sense approach and explains how herbal remedies can complement today's lifestyle by combining natural cures with pharmaceutical and orthodox medicines. The book demonstrates that, despite an age and society blighted by modern day diseases, it is possible for every person to maintain and obtain optimum health by combining complementary and orthodox healthcare methods. This book should be in every household as a quick and easy reference guide.
Pregnancy and Childbirth (Well Woman Ser.)
by Jan de VriesAllaying the doubts and fears which surround the most natural and yet probably the most traumatic experience a woman will go through, Pregnancy and Childbirth takes you step by step through conception, pregnancy, labour and the care of your baby. Calling upon a lifetime's experience in helping couples who have come to him following years of trying for a baby, Jan de Vries explains how he has helped them with either herbal or homoeopathic medicine, acupuncture or osteopathy. He describes how acupuncture can help, especially during labour, and provides advice for couples who have undergone severe stress when dealing with problems such as impotence, or feelings of inadequacy or rejection. What emerges from his extensive research is an overwhelming sense of hope in the wonder of nature and joy at the miracle of each new birth.
Ripley's World: The Enthralling Story of the British Lion's Most Crucial Battle
by Andy RipleyWinner of the National Sporting Club's prestigious British Rugby Book of the Year Award for 2008, Ripley's World transforms and redefines the genre of the sports autobiography. In a moving and intimate memoir, Andy Ripley, England rugby icon and victorious British Lion, television Superstar and world rowing champion, reflects on a life of sporting achievement and confronts his most powerful and dangerous challenge yet - his diagnosis with prostate cancer. Told with typical candour and courage, it is an absorbing and inspirational story.
Squaddie: A Soldier's Story
by Steven McLaughlinFrom the harsh realities of basic training to post-war chaos in Iraq and knife-edge tension in Northern Ireland, Squaddie takes us to a place not advertised in army recruitment brochures. It exposes the grim reality of everyday soldiering for the 'grunts on the ground'.After the tragic death of his brother, and in the dark days following 9/11, McLaughlin felt compelled to fulfil his lifelong ambition to serve in the army. He followed his late brother into the elite Royal Green Jackets and passed the arduous Combat Infantryman's Course at the age of 31. Thereafter, McLaughlin found himself submerged in a world of casual violence.Squaddie is a snapshot of infantry soldiering in the twenty-first century. It takes us into the heart of an ancient institution that is struggling to retain its tough traditions in a rapidly changing world. All of the fears and anxieties that the modern soldier carries as his burden are laid bare, as well as the occasional joys and triumphs that can make him feel like he is doing the best job in the world.This is an account of army life by someone who has been there and done it.
As I Lay Me Down to Sleep
by Carol McKay Eileen MunroWhen Eileen Munro's mother became pregnant at 16, she was told to give her baby away to a 'good family', but the couple who paid the fee at the Salvation Army mother-and-baby home in Glasgow in 1963 turned out to be alcoholics who neglected and physically abused Eileen. Then, when their marriage broke down, they failed to protect her from sexual abuse at the hands of a family friend. After watching her adoptive mother drown on inhaled vomit, Eileen and her younger sister were taken into care, but her nightmare was to continue as she was subjected to further physical, sexual and emotional abuse. At the age of only seventeen, seven months into a secret pregnancy, she decided that the only way out was through a bottle of painkillers; when she survived and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, he became her lifeline.
Tour de France: The History, The Legend, The Riders
by Graeme FifeIn this updated edition of the highly acclaimed Tour de France, Graeme Fife sets the 2015 race in the context of the event's remarkable history, which stretches back to July 1903. Named one of the top 5 sports books of the year by both the Times and the Independent, this meticulously researched guide has a pacy narrative which paints an irresistible portrait of this extraordinary competition and a colourful picture of the men who have given the Tour its enduring universal appeal. Tour de France : The History, The Legend, The Riders is laced with tales of great solo performances, amazing fortitude, terrible misfortune and magnificent triumphs, and will include the stories behind the headlines of the 2015 race.
Inside the Peloton: Riding, Winning and Losing the Tour de France
by Graeme FifeRacing cyclists all ride the same frail machine and all are equal before the demands of the road. But what is it that makes a winner? What special attributes do winners need to give them that extra edge? To find out, Fife analyses and illustrates the moral strength, intelligence, racing nous, cunning, tactical acumen and superior mental resilience of the champion racing cyclist. Drawing on exclusive interviews and personal acquaintance with some of the best riders to have raced on the continent, as well as mechanics and team-support crew, Inside the Peloton is a vivid portrait of the complex character of cycle racing. It is an unparalleled, in-depth study of ambition, the rage to win, the capacity to recover from defeat, the harrowing misery of lost morale and the hard initiation faced by every newcomer - however talented - to the unforgiving demands of professional competition. Provocative and rich in insight, this book is a very personal account by Fife. Read it to discover: What made Merckx, apparently invincible, so prey to doubt? --What rendered the massively talented Poulidor so beatable? --Why did Sean Yates, with a cardiovascular and lung capacity equal to that of Merckx, ride so contentedly as a domestique?
Unhooked: The Rehab of a London Call Girl
by Clare GeeAddicted to coke and booze and reliant on selling her body for cash, Katie, the heroine of Clare Gee's bestselling Hooked, can no longer cope with the life she's created for herself. She has messed up badly and thrown everything away.Mentally, she is an anxious wreck and physically she is in pieces. Yet she is terrified of who she will become without her vices. She has to do something, though, and her choices are get help or die. She leaves London and admits herself to a residential rehab centre for three months.In Unhooked, reformed addict Clare Gee draws on her own experiences of cocaine addiction, alcoholism and prostitution in telling a moving story of a young woman battling through hell to create a sober life for herself. There are threats of expulsion from rehab and relapses, but through dedication and honesty, Katie begins the long journey to becoming clean and finding peace of mind.
The Cupboard Under the Stairs: A Boy Trapped in Hell...
by Paul MasonPaul Mason’s father was a policeman. He was also a member of a sadistic paedophile ring. He would keep Paul locked up and naked in a tiny cupboard under the stairs of their home before sexually abusing him. This cycle of abuse continued for several years and also affected his brother. The cupboard became a horrific prison where fear and terror filled his every moment.The Cupboard Under the Stairs is a story of abuse at the mercy of adults whom Paul should have been able to trust. There followed a life almost destroyed by their actions. It is the harrowing story of one man’s fight for justice and an end to the horrific memories that still haunt him daily.
John Robertson: My Autobiography
by John Lawson John RobertsonThe unprecedented success of Nottingham Forest under master manager Brian Clough is one of the greatest stories in football folklore. Winning the European Cup in 1979 and 1980 were the remarkable highlights of that era in the club's history. And the player at the heart of those Forest glories was winger John Robertson, who fashioned the goal that conquered Europe a first time and then scored the match-winner as Clough's side retained the trophy.His unkempt and unshaven appearance made him the most unlikely of footballers but his artistry and vision made him the creative on-the-field force behind a Forest side that swept all before them. After retiring from playing, Robertson went on to strike up a wonderfully successful managerial partnership with Martin O'Neill at Leicester, Celtic and Aston Villa. Yet, amid his years of football fame, Robertson has known moments of deep personal tragedy, with the death of his daughter, who had cerebral palsy, at the age of 13 and the loss of his elder brother in a car crash.In John Robertson: Super Tramp, the footballing legend reveals all in a humorous and touching memoir that switches engagingly between footballing glory and personal heartache.
The Royal Scots: A Concise History
by Trevor RoyleThe Royal Scots are Scotland's oldest infantry regiment, with a tradition that stretches back to 1633. This first concise history of the regiment is based largely on the recollections of several generations of Royal Scots - men like Private McBane, who carried his three-year-old son into battle at Malplaquet, and Private Begbie, the youngest soldier to serve in the First World War. These first-hand accounts take the reader through the great wars of the eighteenth century, when Britain was a rising global power, through the setbacks and the triumphs of the Napoleonic Wars and on to the glorious years of the nineteenth century. The two world wars of the twentieth century saw the Royals expand in size, and there are full accounts of its meritorious service on all the main battle fronts. More recently, the regiment has been involved in operations in the Balkans and Iraq. In 2006, in one of the most radical changes in the country's defence policy, the Royal Scots will be amalgamated into the new Royal Regiment of Scotland. Royal Scots is, therefore, a timely celebration of the British Army's most venerable regiment, right of the line and second to none.
Fighting Mac: The Downfall of Major-General Sir Hector Macdonald
by Trevor RoyleOn a spring morning in 1903, Major-General Sir Hector Macdonald, one of Britain's greatest military heroes, took his life in a hotel room in Paris. A few days later he was buried hastily in an Edinburgh cemetary as his fellow countrymen tried to come to terms with the fact that one of Scotland's most famous soldiers had ended his life rather than face charges against his character.The suicide and its aftermath created a national scandal and one which still reverberates long after those dramatic events - it is now clear that the official files dealing with his case, the papers of the Judge Advocate have been destroyed. Macdonald or 'Fighting Mac' as he was known to an adoring public, was no ordinary soldier. A crofter's son who had risen from the ranks in the Victorian army, he covered himself with glory during a long and successful military career and in 1898 was widely acknowledged as the true hero of the Battle of Omdurman, which cemented British Imperial rule in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Everything lay at his feet - a knighthood, honours, the respect of fellow generals such as Roberts and Kitchener - but Macdonald's career came to a shocking full stop when he stood accused of homosexuality and was ordered to face a court martial. Unable to come to terms with the disgrace, he committed suicide. That should have been the end of his story but so powerful was the myth created by Fighting Mac that people refused to believe he was dead. Soon rumours were circulating that Macdonald had faked his death and had adopted the persona of a prominent Prussian officer, the future Field Marshal August con Mackensen, one of Germany's great leaders during the First World War. FIGHTING MAC tells the true story behind his disgrace and sheds new light on the myths....
Queen's Own Highlanders: A Concise History
by Trevor RoyleCreated in 1961 as a result of the amalgamation of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and the Seaforth Highlanders, the Queen's Own Highlanders embody the history and traditions of some of Scotland's oldest Highland regiments. Two great Highland families - Cameron of Lochdarroch and Mackenzie of Seaforth - were involved in the formation of the antecedent regiments and their tartans were incorporated in their successor's uniform.During its long history, the regiment has served in the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimea, the Indian Mutiny, the Boer War and the two World Wars of the twentieth century. After the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the Duke of Wellington specifically mentioned the Cameron Highlanders in his dispatches as a result of the bravery shown by Piper Kenneth Mackay, who left the safety of the regiment's defensive square to encourage the men by playing the traditional rallying tune 'Cogadh no Sith' (War or Peace - the True Gathering of the Clans).In 1994, the Queen's Own Highlanders amalgamated with the Gordon Highlanders, and in 2006 they became the 4th Battalion of the new Royal Regiment of Scotland. This account of the regiment is therefore a timely memorial to its long and distinguished history.