Alan Brown

Alan Brown's pantomimes recreate those of Victorian times, blending traditional elements - including Harlequin interludes and suggestions for period songs - with subtle updatings to suit modern young audiences. Large flexible cast

From Simon & Schuster, Invitation to Sailing is Alan Brown's complete illustrated guide to small boat sailing. In his guide, Brown takes readers from the first day out racing in regattas, under the direction of an expert sailor and teacher, and includes exercise, on the water drills, and a special section on how to organize and teach a sailing class.

Making Better Business Decisions provides a toolkit for understanding the case for a new project, product or service, business change or other investment of resources. The phrase ’business case’ is universally understood, but scratch below the surface and you will find that it has many different meanings depending on the context and culture of an organisation. This is completely understandable, but wouldn’t it be helpful if there was a common approach and a common language to developing business cases? Stefan Sanchez and Alan Brown unpack the different elements of a business case, setting out in detail what should be covered as follows: ¢ Strategic case - why do we want to invest and what are the outcomes we want to achieve? ¢ Economic case - what choices do we have and how do we assess them to identify a solution? ¢ Commercial case - who are our delivery partners and what is the ’deal’ with them? ¢ Financial case - can we afford it and where is the money coming from? ¢ Management case - how are we going to manage delivery and what is required for governance and approval? Increasing complexity in business alongside the accelerating pace of change means that businesses need a consistent and reliable basis for making more decisions, faster. Making Better Business Decisions offers this potential.

The world is experiencing a rapid rise in the use of artificial intelligence, sparking fierce debate about its impact on both business and society. This book cuts through the noise and acts as a guide on how to survive and thrive in the age of AI. By providing an accessible collection of short, practical insights, it offers you a framework for understanding the issues and implications of AI for individuals and organizations in this time of significant digital disruption. Surviving and Thriving in the Age of AI is specifically designed for busy professionals, leaders and decision makers. It is organized to allow you to gain valuable insights quickly and on demand. Above all, the content is grounded in real-world experience and practical applications within the context of digital transformation, ensuring its relevance to everyone who is embarking on a digital journey. Most importantly, each topic concludes with thought-provoking questions and actionable steps to guide your personal exploration of AI and its implications.

Recommended and award-winning works of young adult literature featuring youth athletes--protagonists who are entangled not only in athletic competition but in the complications of life beyond the arena--offer secure footholds that students can use to explore contemporary sociopolitical issues. With chapters addressing timely topics--including combating sexism and misogyny, protesting systemic racism, challenging homophobia, upending ableist perspectives, questioning narrow views of masculinity, reckoning with the dramatic toll of drug abuse, and more--this book supports practicing and prospective teachers in using sports and young adult literature to advance critical literacy and to help students reimagine the world as they know it. Other volume highlights include: A foreword by sports journalist Kavitha A. Davidson "Voices from the Field" contributions by educators Options for book clubs Options for film study Recommended young adult literature titles The omnipresence of sports around the globe, the long history of sports and politics colliding, and the recent publication of award-winning works of sports-related young adult literature combine to make this practical book a valuable resource for English language arts teachers, curriculum coordinators, and teacher educators alike.

On a crisp autumn morning of the fall of 1973, two young men were found dead in the reflecting pond on the campus of the School of the Ozarks. Funny thing was, they weren't students, and Freshman track athlete Alan Brown couldn't stop wondering what must have happened to them. Enter Detective Booger McClain. In the spring of 1974, a highly caffeinated McClain dives into the particulars of the case prompted by the now-college-reporter Brown, and what this unusual pair finds together are all the things that some in the Ozarks wanted to remain hidden forever. For deep in the hollers, in the shadows of rocky cliff edges, are secrets not meant to be found. And so it goes: the closer the investigators get to the truth, the more they have to prepare to be silenced. Lake Honor is a thrilling mystery and coming-of-age story that delivers more sharp turns than any narrow hillside highway.

The Ozarks in Southern Missouri is a majestic place. In the fall, when the tourists are gone, and the leaves change from green to amber and orange, it is difficult to find a more beautiful place. Nestled between three lakes in the valley and mountains just beyond is a unique college few people know about. The college is small, with about 500 students attending, but its grounds span nearly 400 acres. It is a free college where students work in exchange for an education. It is a Christian college that believes in the value of hard work and spiritual well-being. The college's white stone buildings, cobblestone walkways and large iron gates are reminiscent of a time long ago. It is completely self-sufficient. Students operate everything from a farm to a power plant to a slaughterhouse. To the outside world, it is a utopia of sorts. But behind that fa ade, there is an underbelly of greed and corruption. Justin Wade will discover the dark side of the school. He will try to expose it, and in doing so, he will put his life and the lives of others at risk. This is a story of drugs, murder and love. It is a story of discovering the truth and unearthing the dark secrets of the college and the surrounding Ozark hills. In the end, he will expose the secret behind the blood in the fountain.

The Journey Thus Far is Mr. Brown's second book and the first of his poetic work. The subject matter varying in time as well as in space reflects his life experience; his education, BA in geography; and his pure imagination. The early work is of recollections and experiences dating back to the 1960s. Even though written at a later date, all the poems in the book are composed between the years 2014 and 2021.

Ghost stories from the Southwestern United States have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery The haunted history of the Southwest comes to life--even when the main players are dead. Visit Fort Huachuca to catch a glimpse of the ghosts of Buffalo Soldiers. Or spend the night at the Museum of Colorado Prisons in Canon City, but don't count on getting much sleep while surrounded by restless spirits. Dive into this spooky chapter book for suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

Jane Collins gave birth to twin boys. One died shortly after childbirth. The other had emotional challenges and lacked self-confidence. Dennis Collins had a difficult childhood. His father was an alcoholic and was physically abusive. His mother was passive and allowed the abuse to continue. She mourned for her dead son, Kevin. She lived in fear of her abusive husband. She had little time to nurture her son's emotional needs. Dennis withdrew into a shell and into an imaginary world where his brother, Kevin lived. In his world, Kevin was the strong brother, the one that would protect him, the one that would stand up to his father. As the physical violence and emotional torture of his childhood increased, Kevin became more dominant in his life. The problem was that Kevin had a dark side. When his father was murdered, Dennis was certain that his brother was responsible. He tried to separate himself from his brother, but it was too late. Kevin was too strong now, too dominant. He had taken control and Dennis was powerless to stop him. They formed a bond that no one could break. They were complete opposites in every regard. Both were damaged. Both had emotional and psychological problems. Together, they would become the most prolific serial killer in Kansas City history. One detective spent twenty-years trying to bring him to justice. He had nearly died trying to capture him once. His search culminated at a farmhouse in a rural area just north of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin where the magnitude of his madness would be realized.

Kentucky is known primarily for horse racing, bourbon and fried chicken, but the Dark and Bloody Ground has a mysterious side as well. Kentuckians talk about their own Hillbilly Beast, believed to have frightened campers at Mammoth Cave National Park. The gnarled and twisted Witches' Tree is a favorite on Louisville ghost tours. Kentucky's UFO incidents--like Thomas Mantell's mysterious plane crash, the Hopkinsville alien attack and the Paintsville train-UFO crash--are as puzzling and frightening now as they were when they happened. Folklore writer Alan Brown chronicles these strange stories and others that are very much a part of the unique culture of Kentucky.

Lean back into Louisiana lore with an earful of New Orleans jazz and a bellyful of Cajun cuisine. But when the music dies down and the lights flicker out, hushed conversations bleed into the darker mysteries of the Pelican State. Storied outlaws like John Murrell, Eugene Bunch and Leather Britches Smith steal into the room. Voodoo priestesses Marie Laveau and Julia Brown are already there, along with the Phantom Whistler and the Axeman of New Orleans. Folklorist Alan Brown educates and entertains with tales of the unseemly, bizarre and otherworldly, like the legends of the Rougarou, the Lutin and the Honey Island Swamp Monster.

Connor Allen was trapped in the basement of Adler department store. He had been there working, sweeping and waxing the floors of the four-story building. He worked there every Saturday night, after the store had closed. It was a job that he had taken to earn money for college. His only company during that graveyard shift was an aged security guard. Neither were prepared for what happened that night. Four men broke into the store. They intended to rob it. They didn't intend to leave any witnesses. Bill Collins, the store security guard, was murdered trying to prevent the robbery. A cat and mouse game ensued as Connor moved from one hiding place to another it the dark, cold basement of Adler. His only hope for escaping the killers was reaching the fourth floor of the department store. From there, he could escape to the roof and down the fire escape to the street below. But the only way to the fourth floor was up a hidden stairway. That stairway had not been used in years. It was sealed off after the fourth floor closed ten-years before. A murder had taken place on that floor. The floor was never re-opened after the murder. But, since it's closure, voices, laughter, and gunshots had been heard coming from that floor. It was rumored that ghosts lived there. But Connor had no choice. That was the only exist available to him. On the fourth floor, he discovered many secrets about the murders, about the Adler family, and about the history of that department store. He would discover that the strangers that were hunting him weren't the only threats to his life. Through the insane mind of a stranger living on the fourth floor, he discovered the secrets of the murders and the reason that the strangers would never stop until he was dead. But did the robbery and murders actually occur? Or were they the imagination of a sick mind? The final chapter takes place in a psychiatric hospital, where nothing is exactly how it seems.

This book argues that the legal understanding of ‘family’ in the UK continues to be underpinned by the idealised image of the ‘nuclear family’, premised upon the traditional, gendered roles of ‘father as breadwinner’ and ‘mother as homemaker’. This examination of the law’s model of the ‘family’ has been prompted by the substantial reforms that have taken place in family law in recent decades, and the significant evolution in social attitudes and familial practices that has occurred in parallel. Throughout the book, the influence of the nuclear family is noted in several different contexts: various specific legal definitions of ‘family’, the legal regulation of adult, conjugal relationships, the attribution of legal parenthood and the construction of the role of the ‘parent’ within the law. Ultimately, this book argues that while these reforms have resulted in additional categories of relationship coming to be situated within the nuclear family model, there has not, as yet, been any fundamental alteration of the underpinning concept of the nuclear family itself. This book concludes by considering the possibilities offered beyond the ‘nuclear family’; exploring the reconceptualising of the legal understanding of ‘family’ around alternative and potentially ‘radical’ models of ‘family’.

Hauntings lurk and spirits linger in the Lone Star State Reader, beware! Turn these pages and enter the world of the paranormal, where ghosts and ghouls alike creep just out of sight. Author Alan Brown shines a light in the dark corners of Texas and scares those spirits out of hiding in this thrilling collection. From tales of haunted hotels like the Von Minden and The Beckham, to a creek where a woman’s screams can still be heard to this day, and the shadowy figures still stalking the Alamo, these stories of strange occurrences will keep you glued to the edge of your seat. Around the campfire or tucked away on a dark and stormy night, this big book of ghost stories is a hauntingly good read.

Known for antebellum mansions and sunny beaches, Alabama also claims an abundance of fascinating mysteries and legends. The White Thang is a Sasquatch-like creature that has terrorized Alabamians for generations. For a brief period in the 1980s, Needham gained national attention because of its "crying pecan tree." In 1854, a farmer named Orion Williamson simply vanished in a field in Selma. From the aquatic beast known as the Coosa River Monster to the story of the Leprechaun of Mobile, these stories have evolved over generations. Author Alan Brown presents some of the strangest stories from this collective tradition.

In nature, radiata pine is very localised and an obscure tree species despite the romantic character of much of its natural habitat. That obscure status and the lack of any reputation as a virgin timber slowed its due recognition as a commercial crop. Nevertheless, it has become a major plantation forest crop internationally. It has become the pre-eminent commercial forest species in New Zealand, Chile and Australia, with important plantings in some other countries. It consequently features prominently in the international trade in forest products, in addition to its importance in domestic markets of grower countries. Very fast growth, considerable site tolerances, ease of raising in nurseries and transplanting, and ease of processing and using its wood for a range of products and purposes, have made it the utility softwood of choice almost everywhere it can be grown satisfactorily. Abundant genetic variation and its amenability to other management inputs created special opportunities for its domestication. The story of its domestication forms a classic case history in the development of modern commercial forestry, with trailblazing in both genetic improvement and plantation management; this inevitably meant a learning process that provided instructive lessons, especially for tree breeders dealing with some other species. Paradoxically, the plantation monocultures have played and can continue to play an important role in protecting natural forests and other forms of biodiversity. Given the attractions of growing radiata pine, there were inevitably cases of overreach in planting it, with lessons to be learnt. Economic globalisation has meant globalisation of pests and disease organisms, and the scale on which radiata pine is grown has meant is has been the focus of various biotic alarms, none of which have proved catastrophic. Temptations, remain, however, to pay less than due attention to some aspects of risk management. The chapter structure of the book is based on historical periods, beginning long before any important human influences, and ending with a look into what the future might hold for the species and its role in human and ecological sustainability. Almost throughout, there has been complex interplay between the technical aspects, local social and economic factors, various types of institution, the enthusiasm and drive of some very influential individuals, and tides of economic ideology, threads that needed to be woven together to do the story justice.