Life is a Beach

Duets 2-In-1 (99) by Pamela Browning released on Apr 24, 2003 is available now for purchase.

This is a story written by a pilot who followed his father into commercial aviation. It is, on one hand, the biography of a professional pilot and, on other levels, provides us with insight into the mental disciplines necessary to follow such a career path. The story begins with a description of his life as a kid in rural New Jersey and follows him from his first flight to his last, some fifty years latter.As each passage of life ends, a new begins. The author provides us with an understanding of what it means to be a professional aviator and what he has learned along the way about his profession and about life. We see him grow as a person and as a pilot. We see the world through his eyes and gain an appreciation of his accumulated experiences both funny and those no so.Anyone who has spent years looking down on the world most certainly develops a different view of things than those who meander along the surface. This is certainly true of the author who provides the reader with a sense of his understanding along the way.

Flying Through Life: From Fighter Pilot to Peace Activist By: Richard Moody Towards the end of his career as a fighter pilot with the Royal Navy, Richard Moody became an ardent Peace Activist and Quaker. This book is the story of his conversion. In today’s world of militarization and slaughter, Richard’s diametric experiences have made him a uniquely compelling voice in the fight for peace. Through his story, Richard hopes readers will learn that peace through diplomacy is vital for the survival of societies worldwide.

March 8, 1990: An intoxicated three-man crew, including Flight Engineer Joseph Balzer, fly a Northwest Airlines Boeing 727 with 91 passengers aboard from Fargo, North Dakota to Minneapolis, Minnesota.Northwest Airlines, alcoholism July 25, 1990: All three pilots stand trial for flying a commercial airliner while under the influence of alcohol; all three are convicted and sent to federal prison. July 26, 1990 – present: Joe Balzer fights for redemption and to regain all that he has lost. Flying Drunk is his story. Since he was a young boy, Joe Balzer dreamed of flying. He pursued his goal with a vigorous passion and earned his pilot licenses, piling up hours of flight time with a wide variety of planes and jets with one overarching goal: to one day fly for a major airline. But Joe had a problem. He was an alcoholic and refused to admit to himself that he had a problem. His alcoholism caught up with him in March 1990, when Joe was arrested with two other pilots for flying a commercial airliner while under the influence of alcohol. His world began crumbling around him and his new marriage faced the ultimate test. He lost his promising career and his dignity. Every major media outlet, including The New York Times, Newsweek, and Time Magazine covered the shocking story for the stunned American flying public. The trial that followed drained Joe’s life’s savings and federal prison nearly broke him. Flying Drunk is Joe’s bittersweet and thoroughly chilling memoir of his twisted journey to a Federal courtroom, his time in the notorious Federal penitentiary system in Atlanta, and his struggle to recapture all that he held dear. Today, Joe is a recovering alcoholic, celebrating more than nineteen years of sobriety. The long road back from perdition led him to American Airlines, where good people and a great organization recognized a talented pilot who had cleaned up his act and was ready to fly again, safely. Flying Drunk is an incredible journey of the human spirit, from childhood to hell, and back again. Everyone should read and heed its message of hope and redemption. No one who does will ever forget it. About the Author: Joe Balzer is a pilot for American Airlines with more than 15,000 hours of flight experience. He has a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Education and is also an inspirational speaker, traveling around the country speaking to pilots and other groups on the dangers of alcohol and other addictions, bringing his audience to laughter and tears with his powerful message of hope. Joe lives in Tennessee with his wife Deborah and their two children. Flying Drunk is his first book.

Can I get a “ramen” from the congregation?! Behold the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM), today’s fastest growing carbohydrate-based religion. According to church founder Bobby Henderson, the universe and all life within it were created by a mystical and divine being: the Flying Spaghetti Monster. What drives the FSM’ s devout followers, a.k.a. Pastafarians? Some say it’s the assuring touch from the FSM’s “noodly appendage.” Then there are those who love the worship service, which is conducted in pirate talk and attended by congregants in dashing buccaneer garb. Still others are drawn to the Church’s flimsy moral standards, religious holidays every Friday, or the fact that Pastafarian heaven is way cooler: Does your heaven have a Stripper Factory and a Beer Volcano? Intelligent Design has finally met its match—and it has nothing to do with apes or the Olive Garden of Eden. Within these pages, Bobby Henderson outlines the true facts– dispelling such malicious myths as evolution (“only a theory”), science (“only a lot of theories”), and whether we’re really descended from apes (fact: Humans share 95 percent of their DNA with chimpanzees, but they share 99.9 percent with pirates!) See what impressively credentialed top scientists have to say: “If Intelligent Design is taught in schools, equal time should be given to the FSM theory and the non-FSM theory.” –Professor Douglas Shaw, Ph.D. “Do not be hypocritical. Allow equal time for other alternative ‘theories’ like FSMism, which is by far the tastier choice.” –J. Simon, Ph.D. “In my scientific opinion, when comparing the two theories, FSM theory seems to be more valid than classic ID theory.” –Afshin Beheshti, Ph.D. Read the book and decide for yourself!

Flying Angels is a compelling and inspirational story of women of courage in the Second World War, by the world’s number one bestselling author, Danielle Steel. It is 1941 and the devastating loss of life following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor leaves best friends Audrey and Lizzie distraught and bereft as they lose someone they both love deeply. As they come to terms with their grief, their resolve to play a worthwhile role towards the war effort is strengthened. As trained nurses they volunteer for the army medivac corps and are sent to England, where they join a team who fly on dangerous missions to the Front to bring back wounded soldiers. Audrey, Lizzie and their fellow medics and pilots will suffer the tragedies of war and experience loss and suffering. They will come to understand the importance of friendship, respect, bravery and being true to yourself. But, once the war is over, can they learn one of the hardest lessons of all: the ability to love again?

This is the story of the last three years of my father's life who was suffering at the time from Alzheimer's/dementia. It is a wild ride with talking crows, magical wolves, wild women, fast cars, old brujos, Topanga Canyon, South Florida, santeria, machine guns, rattlesnakes, friendships and wackadoo cosmic debris.