Specific Interactions and the Miscibility of Polymer Blends

Book Description

This book with software provides powerful tools for the analysis, prediction and creation of new polymer blends, an area of significant commercial potential. The authors explore and describe the use of association models to treat hydrogen bonding in polymer mixtures, illustrating its broad utility. They adapt this approach to a description of the phase behavior of polymer mixtures then develop spectroscopic methods that provide an independent measurement of the equilibrium constants. The companion set of computer programs calculate and display many of the important quantities described in the book.

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Thomas Cochrane (1775-1860), the 10th Earl of Dundonald, was a man distinctly of his time, and in some ways far in advance of it. Descended from a noble Scottish family that had fallen on hard times, Cochrane had a naval career spanning the Napoleonic wars and beyond, to the struggles for independence of Chile, Peru, Brazil, and Greece. His exploits showed such tactical genius that they have become textbook examples in military training, and his derring-do inspired the lives and fiction of Frederick Marryat (who sailed with Cochrane as a young man), C.S. Forester, and Joseph Conrad.

But Cochrane's career was a checkered one, due mostly to his dislike of authority and tendency to nurse grudges. The man whose meticulous naval strategies were masterpieces of preparation was prone to ill-considered attacks on those in command, and his career as a British naval officer came to an effective end when he prosecuted a court martial against his commanding officer Lord Gambier after his near-disastrous timidity at the Battle in the Aix Roads. His political career as a radical politician was similarly jeopardized by impulsive attacks against the sitting government, and while he had a series of stunning military victories later in life as the admiral of several South American navies, each was followed by political wrangling and disappointment.

Christopher Lloyd's popular biography (first published in 1947) is as brisk and engaging as the novels that Cochrane inspired. It is a well-balanced portrayal of a man who, despite his heroism, invention (he proposed poison gas as a weapon a full hundred years before its usage), and idealistic commitment to liberal causes, was never given the opportunity to achieve his true genius. --John Longenbaugh

Book Description

The gripping life story of the Nelson's most fearless and renowned frigate captain.

Popularly known as "The Sea Wolf" for his daring, skill, and enterprise, Thomas Cochrane, Earl of Dundonald, was one of the finest frigate captains to fight in Nelson's navy. Christopher Lloyd's vivid biography paints a memorable portrait of the leader, inventor, and reformer whose courageous actions inspired the works of Frederick Marryat, C. S. Forester, and Patrick O'Brian.

Customer Reviews:

A true Adventure Story........2006-03-17

Lord Cochrane started his legendary naval career in the British navy as a fourteen-year-old midshipman. He possessed a natural talent for seamanship and rose to the rank of Captain. In war he was particularly successful displaying daring tactics and brazen courage. His career progressed in spite of his brashness that offended the higher ranks of
the British navy. He took on a life long crusade against the old boy cronyism that harmed that country's naval effectiveness. Lord Cochran carried the idea of reforming the Navy in middle age when he became a Member of Parliament. In later life Britain finally recognized this man of naval genius who at an advanced age was openly encouraging a steam-powered navy. A man that was vastly more at home with sea battler than as a Member of Parliament, Lord Cochran became a Captain for hire to the newly emerging nations Peru, Chile, Brazil, and Greece where he did quite well in all his battles almost always against the odds.
He had a storybook action packed life, a very rewarding book that has been brought back into print.

Naval Tactician, Parliamentarian, Freedom Fighter.......2006-02-14

Thomas Cochrane, Tenth Earl of Dundonald, was a larger than life Scottish nobleman, adventurer, and ardent libertarian. Christopher Lloyd wrote this biography of Lord Cochrane in 1947, and it is one of six "Heart of Oak Sea Classics." Lloyd depicts Cochrane as a masterful naval tactician whose uncompromising political idealism provides the hubris for classic tragedy. The stark irony of Cochrane's two careers is that his genius in battle derived from his innovation, reconnaissance, and preparation, whereas his consistent failures in politics derived from his headstrong impetuousness. Cockrane's naval victories during the Napoleonic Wars were remarkably heroic, and won him fame and fortune while he was still quite young. His abrasiveness, however, undid all the good, and much, much more. His depth of despair at the hands of his political adversaries is absolutely unimaginable. His arduous rehabilitation involved his enlistment in the revolutionary struggles of Chile, Peru, Brazil, and Greece. He returned to Britain hesitantly, unsure if he would be arrested and executed. The outcome warms the heart, and vindicates his life struggle. Lloyd's representation of Cochrane is remarkably objective, and nothing is more fascinating than genius and imbecility combined in the same person. It's history; it's a psychological thriller, and a biography you couldn't conceivably make up.

The real stuff.......2001-08-21

Lord Cochrane won an astonishingly brilliant series of victories in three different British ships against the French and Spanish during the Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. The first 80 pages of this biography cover his astounding career in single-ship actions, and the inability of the Admiralty to understand his innovations. The next 55 pages deal with his ignominious Radical parliamentary career and financial fiascos. Another 46 pages cover his attempts to free a series of colonies from their Iberian or Ottoman masters, and how the rebels repeatedly frustrated victory and, of course, didn't pay up. The final 21 pages cover his attempts to restore his honor and his contributions to the deveopment of a recognizably modern navy. The editors say this 1947 book was selected for its congenial style and vignettes of Cochrane, not because it is the last word on the irascible man. This biography is superseded in accuracy by those employing additional family and governmental papers made public since the 1960's and listed in the brief bibliography.

Fans of naval fiction should note that Forester's Hornblower frequently adopts Lord Cochrane's audacious naval exploits, as do many other series' heroes. Forester having appropriated Lord Cochrane's real adventures, Dudley Pope's Lord Ramage series seems to depend more on invented exploits to fill out the same general historical progression. O'Brian's Jack Aubrey also partakes of Cochrane's political ineptness and suffers his finanacial scandal (see especially the early Aubrey novels). While occasionally you see inspiration from Cochrane's later attempts to aid South Americans win their freedom from Spain (Forester, O'Brian, Cornwell), no novelist has taken up Cochrane's inventions (like ship lanterns, tar derivatives, chemical warfare!, and steam warships). This book might slightly disappoint some fiction fans because it lacks details or even a brief description of ALL of Cochrane's remarkable exploits in his Biscay or Mediterranean theaters of operation. But for any fans of Fighting Sail, Lord Cochrane is the inspiring source, and Lloyd's book a well-written introduction.

SUPERB NAVAL/POLITICAL HISTORY.......2000-08-25

A thoroughly researched and beautifully written treatment of the life of one of Great Britain's most important heroes from the Age of Fighting Sail. I've devoured everything I can find on the Royal Navy for years -- this is among the most memorable volumes available! Lord Cochrane was a naval commander in war (and peace) whose talents almost rivalled the great Nelson's, and unlike Nelson he lived to a ripe old age. In a surprisingly "modern" twist to Cochrane's biography, he was duped into a financial scandal that led to bad headlines, ugly partisan politics, and a nasty court case. His subsequent efforts on the part of Latin American nations to help them win independence from Spain make him a veritable nautical Simon Bolivar. Author Lloyd brings this amazing man to life with compelling prose.

Admiral of the Blue, by fermed.......2000-05-26

Lord Cochrane was, by all accounts, a superior naval officer. He was inventive, bold, imaginative, extremely meticulous in his preparations for action, and capable of great theatrics in the service of victory in battle, in capturing prizes, and in befuddling the enemy. He treated his men honorably at a time when abusing them was the norm and he rewarded them handsomely from the prize revenues he engendered. As a result he was adored by his subordinates and never had trouble recruiting personnel to serve under him.

He was a model which inspired aspects of Jack Aubrey and Hornblower and other fictional characters of the Anglo-French wars. His true life was even more tumultuous than the fiction it spawned, for he became a naval hero in Chile and in Peru, in Brazil, and in Greece as he participated in each of those countries' wars of independence.

When on land, Lord Cochrane was an inept, impetuous, cantankerous politician (he was a member of parliament for 10 years), who had no notion of the art of politics, and therefore was repeatedly demolished by his enemies, which were many. It is amazing that the brilliant and disciplined naval officer and tactician would become a bumbling, disorganized politician, but that is precisely what happened. He was involved in financial scandals, his honors and medals were removed, and his purse squandered and lost. It is likely that this honorable man was never guilty of the charges for which he was convicted (stock fraud), but the truth shall never be known for sure.

He lived a long life (1775 - 1860) and by the time he died at 85 he had managed to (mostly) repair his honor, his finances, and his reputation, more as a result of the political changes around him than as a result of having learned political lessons.

This book by Christopher Lloyd, a professional naval historian, has the scholar's convincing tone and language throughout. It has a fair index and bibliography. The book is highly recommended to the Aubrey-Maturin fans who are forever expanding their collections with ancillary historical volumes that allow for additional enjoyment of the series.

Amazon.com

Snow White's stepmother looks like a pussycat compared to the monster under which Adeline Yen Mah suffered. The author's memoir of life in mainland China and--after the 1949 revolution--Hong Kong is a gruesome chronicle of nonstop emotional abuse from her wealthy father and his beautiful, cruel second wife. Chinese proverbs scattered throughout the text pithily covey the traditional world view that prompted Adeline's subservience. Had she not escaped to America, where she experienced a fulfilling medical career and a happy marriage, her story would be unbearable; instead, it's grimly fascinating: Falling Leaves is an Asian Mommie Dearest.

Book Description

"Riveting. A marvel of memory. Poignant proof of the human will to endure." —Amy Tan.

"Brilliant, compelling, and unforgettable. A heart-rending modern day Cinderella story set against the turbulence of 20th century China. Autobiography at its best." —Nien Chang, author of Life and Death in Shanghai.

"Charged with emotion...A vivid portrait of the human capacity for meanness, malice—and love." —Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans.

"Fascinating and heart-rending stuff...a harrowing story of emotional cruelty." —The Times of London

International bestseller.

The emotionally wrenching yet ultimately uplifting memoir of a Chinese woman struggling to win the love and acceptance of her family.

In this compelling memoir that scaled bestseller lists in England, Australia, and Hong Kong, Adeline Yen Mah chronicles her painful childhood growing up in a wealthy yet abusive Chinese family. The unwanted daughter scorned by her family, young Adeline dreamed of freedom and independence, ultimately escaping to the West to launch a successful career in medicine.

When Adeline's mother died giving birth to her, she was deemed bad luck and ostracized by her family. Then her father took a beautiful Eurasian bride and Adeline soon fell victim to the wrath of her stepmother. Treated as a pariah, she was shuttled off to boarding schools, bullied by her siblings, and deprived of the beautiful clothes and things given to the rest of the family.

Moving from Shanghai and Hong Kong to London and the United States, Falling Leaves is an enthralling saga of a prosperous Chinese family set against a background of changing political times and the collision of East and West. Written in haunting prose, it evokes all the suspense and emotional force of a satisfying novel.

Customer Reviews:

The Plight Of An Unloved Child.......2007-10-11

Although this book was difficult at times to read, the author did keep me fascinated with her story. She has an ease of writing that very much feels as if she is having a conversation with the reader, and the book just flows.

The story is one that is ageless: a man marries a woman and they have several children (in this case 5). When the youngest is born, the woman dies from complications, and the man in his loneliness quickly finds another woman to marry. He concerns himself more with outward appearances than with character, and ends up with wife #2 who is controlling, domineering, and wishes she had been wife #1 instead of wife #2. She really doesn't care for the fact that her husband has 5 children from wife #1, but no matter. Since her husband is weak and does as she wishes, she can treat them as she likes. Which isn't pleasant.

Adeline is the youngest of the 5 siblings and therefore the recipient of not only her stepmother's wrath, but most often her 4 siblings as well. Unlike some children, Adeline never seems to truly stand up for herself, and that might be her personality or it might be cultural. Whatever it is, it defines her.

Some reviewers here think Adeline is "whiny", especially after she reaches adulthood. Perhaps. However, if anyone knows somebody who was treated as though they were unwanted and/or unloved as a child - and my mother was such a one - then they might very well see the same behavior Adeline portrays as an adult.

I thought this book was fascinating and a terrific tale of the healing power of the human spirit. At times I just wished I could have reached through the pages of this book and snatched Adeline away to a safe place where she could be nutured and feel safe.

Read it entirely in one night.......2007-09-05

I found this book while browsing the library and borrowed it. I thought it would be good reading material for my daily subway rides since the book wasn't too long at all.

I had a quiet evening, so I started reading. Page by page I turned and when I finished the book it was 1am in the morning. It was definitely a page turner. The reader is kept on their toes to find out what comes next.

I was truly touch by Adeline's story and there were a couple of tear-jerking scenes. This book reminds me a lot of the 1st Harry Potter book somehow. Both tell the story of a rejected child living with sinister relatives.

Adeline's story is different from many other books in that she was a rejected child from a rich family that could have given her everything. Many memoiors tell of a very poor childhood, so I really liked that this was different. She was pretty much poor in a rich family.

I was full of rage when I found out Lydia was backstabbing her & how her brothers are still jerks as adults. Inheritance issues always bring out the nastiest in people. Ultra-rich families do not usually fare well & are usually the subject of drama serial TV in Hong Kong.

Lydia can just shove it...she is just about as dragonlady as Niang for what she did.

Edgar...gosh I wonder if he made a good doctor at all.

James...he's such a timid turtle & it got annoying to see him still like that as a grown adult.

Susan...she married into an ultra-rich family and didn't even care for the inheritance. I was happy for her as she was able to let go of her family.

Adeline...I wish she would stop being the nice person all the time. It was so unfair to her to be taken advantage of even as an adult (Lydia two-timing her while Adeline was willing to help Lydia's song, putting up with 1st abusive husband, still scared of Niang as an adult).

I really wish she had the courage to cut her family off and carve her own happiness with her own family (husband and 2 sons and future grandchildren). I really hope that Adeline is able to/or has already done so. I hope she is having a much happier life right now :)

A PERFECT STUDY OF SCAPEGOATING! ADELINE, YOU GO, GIRL!!!!.......2007-08-10

i have to respectfully disagree with Jazmanian here. No, not 'any family therapist would tell you being cut off from your family of origin would not do any good to your own family.' Even apes have families, and 'family of origin' is not always a safe place.

This book was ALL about moving on and finding blessings in the hand one is dealt. The author had one family member who truly loved her unconditionally and without deviation. Her discovery that her father truly did love her, in spite of his cowardice and weakness of character, gave her some satisfaction; but to realize that throughout her years of emotional torture, there was always one member of her immediate family who had never hurt her and loved her unconditionally, incontrovertibly - namely,her Aunt Baba - was enough for her to move on in her life, taking comfort in the love and support of her husband and child.

The abuse this woman endured was mind-boggling. The incidents with her pet duckling, the orange juice, and being sent to a boarding school that ALSO served as an orphanage was deplorable. But the most painful part of the book to me was when she and her husband accidently walked into that hotel room to find all her siblings having a celebration party to which she was not made aware. That broke my heart, because it hit so close to home; I experienced a similar incident with my own family.

This book was a great comfort to me because I learned that I'm not the only child this has happened to; my similarly dysfunctional family did the same sort of things to me (add in sexual abuse and daily beatings, and there you have it).

Sometimes one must accept that the family is sick and will never be healthy, and realize that one must remove one's self in order to, as you worded it, "do any good to your own family". Had she kept in contact with her sicklings, er, I mean, siblings, 'her own family' would surely have been exposed to their pathological toxicity. Her moving on was the best gift she had to give her family. Past behavior is a pretty good indication of future behavior; why would she want to expose her husband and children to these people?

As one who finally 'pulled the plug' from her bio toxic family, I applaud her for letting these people go.

Tragic beginning, whiny ending........2007-08-03

I enjoyed the beginning of this book. It presented a slice of history about which I was uninformed, wrapped in the personal true story of a little girl persecuted by her family. By the end of the book, though, I felt the author was more determined to make her case against her stepmother than to write a compelling story. The book did not hold my interest to the end, although I did finish it. I wanted to celebrate the triumph of the author over her painful start in life. Instead, I read an endless list of family misdeeds. Victimization of a helpless child is tragic. Wallowing in it as an adult is annoying.

Captivating memoir.......2007-07-10

This book had me very engrossed and actually crying. It doesn't overtly try to teach a lesson or philosophize, but it still makes you think about how it is that people can be so heartless, because we all know, they can.

Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter

Average customer rating:

The BEST Book I Have Ever Read
heart retching, I could not put it down.

Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
Adeline Yen Mah
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Chinese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0786219149

Customer Reviews:

The BEST Book I Have Ever Read.......2002-06-21

Falling Leaves was an AMAZING book. It was touching and heart-wrenching, and I could not put it down. Adeline Yen Mah's story is so sad, and one realizes all the obstacles she had to overcome. I highly recommend this book for all mature readers, as it is an excellent and eye-opening work of art.

heart retching, I could not put it down........1999-08-15

all of us cling to the belief that our parents would love us and protect us no matter what. This book brought home the cruel fact that family members are related by chance only. It,s lottery!! I heart ached as Adeline recalled her story. I felt I was living her life while I was reading the book.I was that little girl that no one wanted to remember .At the same time, I wanted to reach across time and hug her and confort her. Perhaps it's impossible to imagine all this if one had grown up in a warm and loving family. I salute Adeline for her courage to get her story out.Most of us whom have survived similar experience could not bear to even admit to ourselves that our family did not care. After all, It might mean we were not lovable. "falling Leaves" is a wonderful study of family dynamics . Each charcter teachs me something about human nature.Most of all, I appalud the human spirit. Adeline has shown that out of the mud, a lovely lily emerges.

Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter

Average customer rating:

Triumph Over Evil

Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
Adeline Yen Mah
Manufacturer: Penguin Putnam~trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chinese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0140265988

Customer Reviews:

Triumph Over Evil.......2007-01-24

This was a story of triumph of a young chinese girl, Adeline Yen Mah, swallowed whole by the fate that left her with the cruelest face of humankind...her stepmother, Niang Yen. As a rose cannot grow without sun, light, and earth, nor could this girl have survived life w/out the endearing love from her Aunt Baba who encouraged and nurtured her despite inflictions from the Adeline's stepmother and father in doing so.

After reading this book I feel compelled to hug Adeline Yan Mah and tell her what a wonderful person she is.

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Falling Leaves (The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter)
Adeline Yen Mah
Manufacturer: Broadway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I1OKSO

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Falling Leaves - The True Story Of An Unwanted Chinese Daughter
Adeline Yen Mah
Manufacturer: Broadway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K07BJ8

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Falling Leaves - The True Story Of An Unwanted Chinese Daughter
Adeline Yen Mah
Manufacturer: Broadway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000X0ODTG

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FALLING LEAVES RETURN TO THEIR ROOTS. The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter.
Adeline: Yen Mah
Manufacturer: Prentice-Hall,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NWU5TG

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Falling Leaves. The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
Adeline Yen Mah
Manufacturer: Michael Joseph
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OED9LE

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Falling Leaves : The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
Adeline Yen Mah
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Canada, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KWPST6

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Falling Leaves : The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
Adeline Yen Mah
Manufacturer: Broadway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O010MI

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