Acronym agglomeration is an affliction of the age, and there are acronym addicts who, in their weakness, find it impossible to resist them. More than once in recent months my peers have cautioned me about my apparent readiness to use not only acronyms, but abbreviations, foreign isms, codes, and other cryptic symbols rather than common, ordinary American words. Many among us, though, either have not received or have chosen to ignore such advice. As a consequence, what we write and speak is full of mystery and confusion. It is then for the reader and listener and for the writer and speaker that Reta C. Moser has compiled this guide. Its effective application to the art of communication is urged. Such use should help avoid many of the misunderstandings involving terminology which occur daily. Although such misunderstandings are certainly crucial in humanistic and social situations, they are often of immediate import and the trigger to disaster in scientific, technical, and political situations. Some 15,000 acronyms and 25,000 definitions are provided (a 50- and 47 -percent increase over the 1964 edition!), with due credit to Miss Moser's diligence in making the compilation and with the acknowledgment that the acronymical phenomenon is very much with us. This edition, like the first, is certain to be of value to writers, librarians, editors, and others who must identify and deal with acronyms.

A record breaking solo sailing adventure on the smallest yacht to ever complete a circumnavigation.

I Will Survive is the story of Gloria Gaynor, America's "Queen of Disco." It is the story of riches and fame, despair, and finally salvation. Her meteoric rise to stardom in the mid-1970s was nothing short of phenomenal, and hits poured forth that pushed her to the top of the charts, including "Honey Bee," "I Got You Under My Skin," "Never Can Say Goodbye," and the song that has immortalized her, "I Will Survive," which became a #1 international gold seller. With that song, Gloria heralded the international rise of disco that became synonymous with a way of life in the fast lane - the sweaty bodies at Studio 54, the lines of cocaine, the indescribable feeling that you could always be at the top of your game and never come down. But down she came after her early stardom, and problems followed in the wake, including the death of her mother, whose love had anchored the young singer, as well as constant battles with weight, drugs, and alcohol. While her fans always imagined her to be rich, her personal finances collapsed due to poor management; and while many envied her, she felt completely empty inside. In the early 1980s, sustained by her marriage to music publisher Linwood Simon, Gloria took three years off and reflected upon her life. She visited churches and revisited her mother's old Bible. Discovering the world of gospel, she made a commitment to Christ that sustains her to this day.