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Journey just west of America's infamous Tornado Alley to Alabama, home to some of the deadliest tornadoes of the past century. These twisters remain etched in the collective memory of the people, from the 1908 Dixie tornado, regarded as one of the most brutal tornadoes in U.S. history, to the 1998 Birmingham tornado, the most expensive twister in Alabama's history. Discover how the 1932 Deep South Tornadoes resulted in 268 fatalities and millions of dollars in damage, and read the terrifying account of the 1977 Smithfield Tornadoes, which rocked this Birmingham suburb with as many as six twisters in a one-hour span. Join local journalist Kelly Kazek as she shares the tales of these natural disasters and the hardy Alabamians who endured them. ... Read more

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Sweet Home Alabama?
After a brief introduction in Chapter One titled "Alabama, State of Chaos" - a section in which we learn of Alabama's deadly history with tornadoes - author/researcher/journalist Kelly Kazek explores the details six of the most devastating tragedies to affect the Yellowhammer State.

Various trivia information - like the fact that Alabama has two tornado seasons - is provided with chilling details. Unbeknownst to me, my current home state is in the top five for F5 tornadoes, some of them attack nocturnally (which is abnormal), and enough of the twisters hit to garner the nickname "Dixie Alley." Amping up the fear for many is the fact that Alabama is very densely populated, and quite a few people, more than most other states, live in mobile homes. This is a recipe for disaster that has struck enough times - most notably in the six aforementioned fearful vignettes spanning 1908-1994 - that this book was even possible.

Since I have lived in Kansas, I never really thought of Alabama as a tornado state twin...but I was evidently incorrect in my assumptions. Having lived in north Alabama for nearly four years as of this review (July 2010), I luckily missed all the major events in my "neck of the woods," but unfortunately lived here long enough to experience the state-wide surprise and heartache resulting from the tornado that sadly took nine young lives in Enterprise, AL in 2007.

The power of this book is in the familiarity. A virtual neighbor to the author, I have been or live in the towns, counties, and cities referenced, places within a stone's throw, places swept of the map in one fell swoop. The fear has been planted within me after numerous roads I have driven, and some I drive every day, are shown in chaotic photos displaying the war-torn junkyard of unrecognizable debris, car parts, and confusion a tornado's punch can cause. The final nail into my consciousness is the picture of a Gibson's BBQ van covered, like a junker in a horror movie, in the aftermath of the tornado's wake. If world famous barbecue is not safe, then no one is safe.

Included as afterthoughts are the final two chapters covering terrific tornado tales and tips on twister safety. The overall collection is a bitter reminiscence for Alabamians (and transplants), a chronological eulogy of sorts for those affected, and worthwhile historical perspective. Recommended for Alabama and North Alabama historians, amateur meteorologists, storm chasers, and people who hate the absurdity in the movie Twister.

Jason Elin ... Read more

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GREAT BOOK!
This is a great book that is very informative and easy to read if you are interested in or somewhat knowledgable on the subject.As an anthropology student, I have used this book as a referance and have recommended it to others.Good Job authors! ... Read more

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Chapters: Nationwide Tour Championship, Regions Charity Classic, the Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions, Bell Micro Lpga Classic, Navistar Lpga Classic, Mobile Sertoma Open Invitational, Huntsville Open. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 28. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Nationwide Tour Championship is the year-end golf tournament of the Nationwide Tour. It will be played in 2009 at the Daniel Island Club, Ralston Creek course in Charleston, South Carolina. The tournament is scheduled to take place October 22-25, 2009. The format of the tournament is stroke play at 18 holes for four days, a total of 72 holes. The field consists of the top 60 players on the money list. The 2009 purse was $1,000,000. * rain-shortened to 54 holesNote: Green highlight indicates scoring records.Sources ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=5255484 ... Read more

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Chapters: Horse Pens 40, Regions Park, Kelly Ingram Park, Madison County Nature Trail, Ruffner Mountain Park, Sharon Johnston Park, Big Spring Park (Huntsville, Alabama), Lane Park. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 26. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Horse Pens 40 is a privately-owned outdoor nature park located in St. Clair County near Steele, Alabama. The park is situated atop Alabama's third-highest mountain, Chandler Mountain, in the foothills of The Appalachian Mountains. The park is known among the rock climbing community as a premier bouldering site in the American Southeast. The site is also home to a "Bluegrass Park" where it hosts festivals showcasing the genre several time per year. The biggest of these festivals occurs on the Fourth of July. The park features both RV and primitive camping. The park is recognized by the Alabama State Legislature in House/Senate Joint Resolution 177 as "The Home of the South's Bluegrass Music". The park got its name from the original deed; which when allocating the area of the plot stated "the home 40, the farming 40, and the horse pens 40"; each tract containing 40 acres (160,000 m) of land. Each year, the park hosts a leg of the "Triple Crown" bouldering competition. The natural rock shelters located in Horse Pens 40 have seen over 15,000 years of human habitation. The park contains ancient Indian burial grounds dating from the earliest inhabitants of this area, all the way up to the time of the Cherokee removal known as the "Trail of Tears". The Creek and Cherokee tribes at various times used the natural rock formations to trap and corral horses, as a natural fortress in times of war, and as a sheltered village area in times of peace. The site played host to the only peace treaty ever signed between the Creek and Cherokee tribes. Dur...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=3111777 ... Read more

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52-Lesson Practice Book, Learning About Alabama to help prepare for the SAT110-ARMT. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more