CHASING LATITUDES A crazed cockamamie Caribbean tale: The Caribbean. The name alone conjures up images of sun, surf and fun. Fun being the ideal word for the sometimes mysterious Caribbean. A place where anything can happen and usually does. Years ago Captain Yellow-Top inherited his grandfather's 1942 seaplane, a Grumman Goose called the 'Latitude Jumper'. A free spirited freelance computer programer, and an ex-Navy man; the Captain has a love affair for the old reliable seaplane. Every summer he flies to the Caribbean, catching up with his wild and crazy friends, including, his 'on again and off again' girlfriend named "sexy-D." This one particular summer, half way to the Bahamas, he discovers a stowaway aboard his plane. Afraid that someone is trying to shanghai his plane he retaliates, only to find a sixteen year old runaway aboard. Frustrated, with no desire of turning back, Captain decides to take the kid under his wing and teach him the ropes. The kid inherits the name Tex and the two develop a friendship. Willingly, Tex is thrust into the wild side of the crazy Caribbean, zany over the top characters and has a crash course living a pirate's life where he discovers an irresistible gumbo of fast boats, fast planes, bandits, pirates, Rock-n-Roll and hot girls. Suddenly the two find themselves involved in a daring adventure and rescue at sea. For the renegade seaplane pilot Captain Yellow- Top and his side kick Tex, the adventure is turning their summer upside down.

Since November 8, 1942, when American troops in Operation Torch first landed on the beaches of North Africa, almost a million Americans—military personnel and their dependents—have lived in Morocco. Their impact on the political and social evolution of Morocco has been significant, but historians and political scientists before this book had made little effort to chart its course or to assess its outcome. The naval base at Port Lyautey in Morocco was the first foreign base captured by American troops in World War II, and United States objectives in Morocco continued to be primarily military. In 1942, as the price for French support against the Axis, the United States pledged its support for the restoration of the prewar French colonial empire. In 1950, faced with the threat of Soviet aggression, the United States negotiated an agreement with France and built four United States Air Force bases in Morocco without consultation with or notification of the Moroccan government. In spite of its sterile diplomatic policy and both Communist and Moroccan nationalist demands for evacuation of United States military bases, the United States retained essential military facilities in Morocco for many years. Leon Blair concludes that American military personnel and their dependents favorably conditioned Moroccan public opinion. By their egalitarianism, humanitarianism, and evident interest, they reinforced the idealistic image of the United States that was held by the majority of Moroccans. These Americans were neither individually nor collectively conscious agents in a campaign to modify Moroccan public opinion; they were simply a Western window in the Arab world, through which two civilizations might view one another. In the long run, they made a greater contribution in peace than in war.

Our lives and how we live them are like a river adventure—and it’s up to us to make the experience fun. It’s not the river’s job to make us successful or happy. What we make of every day is up to us, and we get to decide if we will face the challenges in front of us or stop halfway through the adventure. Captain Bon, a real tugboat captain and former Navy man whose service taught him about leadership and hard work, is your guide in this book that will help you create a system to succeed. The captain has made it his life’s work to support and raise a family while chasing his dreams, and he shares lessons from great thinkers such as John Maxwell and Tony Robbins and his study of high achievers like Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Nelson Mandela, and Gandhi. Through the experiences of Captain Bon, you will see that everyone faces fears, but that our success depends on the perspective we have about our worries. So, take a journey with the captain and learn a new way to live life.

Down Shanghai's famous Bund swept the red tide of terror -- until Captain North discovered the secret of the four copper coins, of the dying man who whispered, "Carol's doll," and of the murderer whose goal was an empire!