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1857 Indischer Unabhängigkeitskrieg (Meuterei der indischen Sepoys): Ursachen und Folgen
by Shahid Hussain RajaErläutert die Hintergründe des indischen Unabhängigkeitskrieges von 1857 oder das, was ein Teil der Schriftsteller als "Sepoy's Mutiny" von 1857 bezeichnet, zählt detailliert die sozialen, wirtschaftlichen und politischen Ursachen dieses folgenschweren Ereignisses auf, schildert den Verlauf der Ereignisse, die Gründe für das Scheitern und endet mit einer detaillierten Analyse der lang- und kurzfristigen Auswirkungen.
1857 ka Swatantry Samar: 1857 का स्वातंत्र्य समर
by Vinayak Damodar Savarkarवीर सावरकर रचित ‘१८५७ का स्वातंत्र्य समर’ विश्व की पहली इतिहास पुस्तक है, जिसे प्रकाशन के पूर्व ही प्रतिबंधित होने का गौरव प्राप्त हुआ। इस पुस्तक को ही यह गौरव प्राप्त है कि सन् १९०९ में इसके प्रथम गुप्त संस्करण के प्रकाशन से १९४७ में इसके प्रथम खुले प्रकाशन तक के अड़तीस वर्ष लंबे कालखंड में इसके कितने ही गुप्त संस्करण अनेक भाषाओं में छपकर देश-विदेश में वितरित होते रहे। इस पुस्तक को छिपाकर भारत में लाना एक साहसपूर्ण क्रांति-कर्म बन गया। यह देशभक्त क्रांतिकारियों की ‘गीता’ बन गई। इसकी अलभ्य प्रति को कहीं से खोज पाना सौभाग्य माना जाता था। इसकी एक-एक प्रति गुप्त रूप से एक हाथ से दूसरे हाथ होती हुई अनेक अंतःकरणों में क्रांति की ज्वाला सुलगा जाती थी। पुस्तक के लेखन से पूर्व सावरकर के मन में अनेक प्रश्न थे—सन् १८५७ का यथार्थ क्या है?क्या वह मात्र एक आकस्मिक सिपाही विद्रोह था? क्या उसके नेता अपने तुच्छ स्वार्थों की रक्षा के लिए अलग-अलग इस विद्रोह में कूद पड़े थे, या वे किसी बड़े लक्ष्य की प्राप्ति के लिए एक सुनियोजित प्रयास था? यदि हाँ, तो उस योजना में किस-किसका मस्तिष्क कार्य कर रहा था?योजना का स्वरूप क्या था?क्या सन् १८५७ एक बीता हुआ बंद अध्याय है या भविष्य के लिए प्रेरणादायी जीवंत यात्रा?भारत की भावी पीढि़यों के लिए १८५७ का संदेश क्या है? आदि-आदि। और उन्हीं ज्वलंत प्रश्नों की परिणति है प्रस्तुत ग्रंथ—‘१८५७ का स्वातंत्र्य समर’! इसमें तत्कालीन संपूर्ण भारत की सामाजिक व राजनीतिक स्थिति के वर्णन के साथ ही हाहाकार मचा देनेवाले रण-तांडव का भी सिलसिलेवार, हृदय-द्रावक व सप्रमाण वर्णन है। प्रत्येक देशभक्त भारतीय हेतु पठनीय व संग्रहणीय, अलभ्य कृति!
1858: Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant and the War They Failed to See
by Bruce Chadwick1858 explores the events and personalities of the year that would send the America's North and South on a collision course culminating in the slaughter of 630,000 of the nation's young men, a greater number than died in any other American conflict. The record of that year is told in seven separate stories, each participant, though unaware, is linked to the oncoming tragedy by the central, though ineffective, figure of that time, the man in the White House, President James Buchanan. The seven figures who suddenly leap onto history's stage and shape the great moments to come are: Jefferson Davis, who lived a life out of a Romantic novel, and who almost died from herpes simplex of the eye; the disgruntled Col. Robert E. Lee, who had to decide whether he would stay in the military or return to Virginia to run his family's plantation; William Tecumseh Sherman, one of the great Union generals, who had been reduced to running a roadside food stand in Kansas; the uprising of eight abolitionists in Oberlin, Ohio, who freed a slave apprehended by slave catchers, and set off a fiery debate across America; a dramatic speech by New York Senator William Seward in Rochester, which foreshadowed the civil war and which seemed to solidify his hold on the 1860 Republican Presidential nomination; John Brown's raid on a plantation in Missouri, where he freed several slaves, and marched them eleven hundred miles to Canada, to be followed a year later by his catastrophic attack on Harper's Ferry; and finally, Illinois Senator Steven Douglas' seven historic debates with little-known Abraham Lincoln in the Illinois Senate race, that would help bring the ambitious and determined Lincoln to the Presidency of the United States. As these stories unfold, the reader learns how the country reluctantly stumbled towards that moment in April 1861 when the Southern army opened fire on Fort Sumter.
1861
by Adam GoodheartAs the United States marks the 150th anniversary of our defining national drama, 1861 presents a gripping and original account of how the Civil War began.1861 is an epic of courage and heroism beyond the battlefields. Early in that fateful year, a second American revolution unfolded, inspiring a new generation to reject their parents' faith in compromise and appeasement, to do the unthinkable in the name of an ideal. It set Abraham Lincoln on the path to greatness and millions of slaves on the road to freedom.The book introduces us to a heretofore little-known cast of Civil War heroes--among them an acrobatic militia colonel, an explorer's wife, an idealistic band of German immigrants, a regiment of New York City firemen, a community of Virginia slaves, and a young college professor who would one day become president. Adam Goodheart takes us from the corridors of the White House to the slums of Manhattan, from the mouth of the Chesapeake to the deserts of Nevada, from Boston Common to Alcatraz Island, vividly evoking the Union at this moment of ultimate crisis and decision.From the Hardcover edition.
1861: The Lost Peace
by Jay WinikFrom an award-winning historian and New York Times bestselling author, a gripping, fly-on-the-wall account of the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln's decision to go to war against the Confederacy.1861: The Lost Peace is the story of President Lincoln&’s difficult and courageous decision at a time when the country wrestled with deep moral questions of epic proportions. Through Jay Winik&’s singular reporting and storytelling, readers will learn about the extraordinary Washington Peace Conference at the Willard Hotel to avert cataclysmic war. They will observe the irascible and farsighted Senator JJ Crittenden, the tireless moderate seeking a middle way to peace. Lincoln himself called Crittenden &“a great man&” even as Lincoln jousted with him. Readers will glimpse inside Lincoln&’s cabinet—the finest in history—which rivaled the executive in its authority, a fact too often forgotten, and witness a parade of statesmen frenetically grasping for peace rather than the spectacle of a young nation slowly choking itself to death. A perfect read for history buffs, with timely overtones to our current political climate.
1864
by Charles Bracelen FloodIn a masterful narrative, historian and biographer Charles Bracelen Flood brings to life the drama of Lincoln's final year, in which he oversaw the last campaigns of the Civil War, was reelected as president, and laid out his majestic vision for the nation's future in a reunified South and in the expanding West.
1865 Stoneman's Raid Ends, The: Follow Him to the Ends of the Earth (Civil War Ser.)
by Joshua Beau BlackwellIn the spring of 1865, George Stoneman's cavalry division departed Salisbury, North Carolina, with one objective in mind: returning home. However, after the collapse of the Confederacy, the mounted division was ordered to apprehend the exiled Confederate president Jefferson Davis, even if it meant "follow[ing] him to the ends of the earth."? By May, the raid had transformed into an uphill struggle of frustration, pillage, revenge, terror and wavering loyalty to the flag as the troopers crashed down on the civilian populations that lay in their path with demonical ferocity. Taking into account local folklore and traditions of the raid, historian Beau Blackwell follows the column's course as it sacks the city of Asheville, canvasses the Palmetto State, plunders Greenville, terrorizes Anderson and ultimately tramples the soil of Georgia.
1867: How the Fathers Made a Deal
by Christopher Moore“In the 1860s, western alienation began at Yonge Street, and George Brown was the Preston Manning of the day. ” So begins Christopher Moore’s fascinating 1990s look at the messy, dramatic, crisis-ridden process that brought Canada into being – and at the politicians, no more lovable or united than our own, who, against all odds, managed to forge a deal that worked. From the first chapter, he turns a fresh, perceptive, and lucid eye on the people, the issues, and the political theories of Confederation – from John A. Macdonald’s canny handling of leadership to the invention of federalism and the Senate, from the Quebec question to the influence of political philosophers Edmund Burke and Walter Bagehot. This is a book for all Canadians who love their country – and fear for it after the failure of the constitution-making of the 1990s. Here is a clear, entertaining reintroduction to the ideas and processes that forged the nation. From the Hardcover edition.
1877: America's Year of Living Violently
by Michael A. Bellesiles&“[A] powerful examination of a nation trying to make sense of the complex changes and challenges of the post–Civil War era.&” —Carol Berkin, author of A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution In 1877—a decade after the Civil War—not only was the United States gripped by a deep depression, but the country was also in the throes of nearly unimaginable violence and upheaval, marking the end of the brief period known as Reconstruction and reestablishing white rule across the South. In the wake of the contested presidential election of 1876, white supremacist mobs swept across the South, killing and driving out the last of the Reconstruction state governments. A strike involving millions of railroad workers turned violent as it spread from coast to coast, and for a moment seemed close to toppling the nation&’s economic structure. Celebrated historian Michael A. Bellesiles reveals that the fires of that fated year also fueled a hothouse of cultural and intellectual innovation. He relates the story of 1877 not just through dramatic events, but also through the lives of famous and little-known Americans alike. &“A superb and troubling book about the soul of Modern America.&” —William Deverell, director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West &“A bold, insightful book, richly researched, and fast paced . . . Bellesiles vividly portrays on a single canvas the violent confrontations in 1877.&” —Alfred F. Young, coeditor of Revolutionary Founders: Rebels, Radicals, and Reformers in the Making of the Nation &“[A] wonderful read that is sure to appeal to those interested in the challenges of creating a post–Civil War society.&” —Choice
188 Words for Rain: A delightfully damp tour of the British Isles, led by natural forces (an official BBC Weather book)
by Alan Connor‘Alan knows everything, knows everyone, and writes beautifully too.’RICHARD OSMAN‘The man with the contents of the Oxford English Dictionary stored just above his left eyebrow … and he’s quite funny too.’RORY CELLAN-JONES'A gorgeous, funny tour of the British Isles as seen from the clouds.’KONNIE HUQFor fans of THE ETYMOLOGICON and VERY BRITISH PROBLEMS, a delightfully damp tour of the British Isles. Mizzle. Dreich. Raining knives and forks. A real mugga-fisty. A spot of plother...We Brits love talking about the weather. So much so that our islands have hundreds of words and phrases for rain, some self-explanatory and others that really leave us scratching our heads. From a light smirr in Aberdeen to a "it's raining knives and forks!" in the Brecon Beacons, each type of rain tells a story about the people and places it falls on.In this delightfully damp tour of the British Isles, writer and puddle-splasher Alan Connor digs deep into the meaning and quirky histories of over one hundred words for precipitation. He gets caught in a plash in Northumberland, crashes a fox's wedding in Devon and ponders the phenomenon of Brits-who-picnic-in-the-car, in this charming and witty celebration of our very British obsession.
18885 DÍAS DE POLITICA (EBOOK)
by Carlos CorachCarlos Corach confiesa aquí que ha vivido (y sigue viviendo) una intensa vida política: del desarrollismo al menemismo, del Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires al Pacto de Olivos, el ex ministro del Interior repasa cada peldaño, cada alegría, cada traspié y cada enseñanza de su carrera. No evita tema alguno y subraya en todos una necesidad que hoy parece olvidada: la del diálogo como herramienta principal de la política. Dice Corach, en estas memorias de 18.885 días que se leen en uno, como un apasionante manual de historia argentina reciente: "Entendí que la política exige comprender y aceptar la diversidad de opiniones, que siempre hay que dialogar con aquellos con quienes disentimos y que la relación con los adversarios, permanentes o circunstanciales, exige siempre el respeto mutuo".
1888: London Murders in the Year of the Ripper
by Peter StubleyIn 1888 Jack the Ripper made the headlines with a series of horrific murders that remain unsolved to this day. But most killers are not shadowy figures stalking the streets with a lust for blood. Many are ordinary citizens driven to the ultimate crime by circumstance, a fit of anger or a desire for revenge. Their crimes, overshadowed by the few, sensational cases, are ignored, forgotten or written off. This book examines all the known murders in London in 1888 to build a picture of society. Who were the victims? How did they live, and how did they die? Why did a husband batter his wife to death after she failed to get him a cup of tea? How many died under the wheels of a horse-driven cab? Just how dangerous was London in 1888?
1898: The Birth of the American Century
by David TraxelHistorian Traxel narrates the extraordinary events of 1898 to unfold the story of America's metamorphosis from a rural, isolationist society into a commanding presence on the world stage. The account centers upon America's first foray into international military affairs, the Spanish-American War, but also covers worker uprisings, racial conflict, the last battle between Native Americans and the US Army, advances in technology, and the growing importance of advertising. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc. , Portland, Or.
18: Jewish Stories Translated From 18 Languages
by Nora GoldA 2023 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist in the Anthologies Category This anthology, the first of this kind in twenty-five years, collects eighteen astounding works of Jewish fiction. This is the first anthology of translated multilingual Jewish fiction in 25 years: a collection of 18 splendid stories, each translated into English from a different language: Albanian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Ladino, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Yiddish. These compelling, humorous, and moving stories, written by eminent authors that include Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Isaac Babel, and Lili Berger, reflect both the diversities and the commonalities within Jewish culture, and will make you laugh, cry, and think. This beautiful book is easily accessible and enjoyable not only for Jewish readers, but for story-lovers of all backgrounds. Authors (in the order they appear in the book) include: Elie Wiesel, Varda Fiszbein, S. Y. Agnon, Gábor T. Szántó, Jasminka Domaš, Augusto Segre, Lili Berger, Peter Sichrovsky, Maciej Płaza, Entela Kasi, Norman Manea, Luize Valente, Eliya Karmona, Birte Kont, Michel Fais, Irena Dousková, Mario Levi, and Isaac Babel.
18th Century Japan: Culture and Society
by C. Andrew GerstleThe period of Japanese history before the advent of industrialisation and modernism is of tremendous interest. The essays in this collection show a fascination with the social context behind the development of aesthetics, drama, language, art and philosophy, whether it be the world of the pleasure quarters or the Shogun's court.
18th Century Male Tailoring: Theatrical and Historical Tailoring c1680 – 1790
by Graham Cottenden18th Century Male Tailoring: Theatrical and Historical Tailoring c1680 – 1790 introduces the reader to English eighteenth-century tailoring and covers the drafting of patterns, cutting out in cloth and construction techniques in sequence for the tailoring of waistcoats, breeches and coats. From choosing the right cloth to preparing for the fitting process, this how-to guide will help readers create beautiful, historically accurate eighteenth-century male garments for events and performances. The book contains the following: step-by-step instructions complete with illustrations for students and costumiers who are new to the making of male tailored garments from the eighteenth century; drafting blocks and construction techniques for the different styles through the eighteenth century and patterns, photographs, detailed measurements and articles taken from a variety of male coats, waistcoats and trousers from c1680 – c1790 from museums and collections. 18th Century Male Tailoring is written for costume design and construction students, fashion students and practitioners who have a reasonable working knowledge of sewing and general costume making, but not necessarily of tailoring, drafting patterns, cutting skills and the making of male garments.
18th Edition IET Wiring Regulations: Wiring Systems and Fault Finding for Installation Electricians, 7th ed
by Brian ScaddanThis book deals with an area of practice that many students and non-electricians find particularly challenging. It explains how to interpret circuit diagrams and wiring systems, and outlines the principles of testing before explaining how to apply this knowledge to fault finding in electrical circuits. A handy pocket guide for anybody that needs to be able to trace faults in circuits, whether in domestic, commercial or industrial settings, this book will be extremely useful to electricians, plumbers, heating engineers and intruder alarm installers.
18th International Brick and Block Masonry Conference: Proceedings of IB2MaC 2024—Volume 1 (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering #613)
by Gabriele Milani Bahman GhiassiThis book highlights the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of masonry structures and constructions, as presented by leading international researchers at the 18th International Brick and Block Masonry Conference (IB2MaC), held in Birmingham, UK, on July 21–24, 2024. Conference topics include architecture with masonry, analysis of masonry structures, bricks and blocks, mortars, repair, strengthening and retrofitting, conservation of historical heritage, new construction techniques, seismic engineering, durability and deterioration of materials, energy efficiency, AI, and masonry. The contributions, which were selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, present a wealth of exciting ideas that will open novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaboration among different specialists.
18th International Brick and Block Masonry Conference: Proceedings of IB2MaC 2024—Volume 2 (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering #614)
by Gabriele Milani Bahman GhiassiThis book highlights the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of masonry structures and constructions, as presented by leading international researchers at the 18th International Brick and Block Masonry Conference (IB2MaC), held in Birmingham, UK, on July 21–24, 2024. Conference topics include architecture with masonry, analysis of masonry structures, bricks and blocks, mortars, repair, strengthening and retrofitting, conservation of historical heritage, new construction techniques, seismic engineering, durability and deterioration of materials, energy efficiency, AI, and masonry. The contributions, which were selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, present a wealth of exciting ideas that will open novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaboration among different specialists.
18th International Conference on Soft Computing Models in Industrial and Environmental Applications: Salamanca, Spain, September 5–7, 2023, Proceedings, Volume 1 (Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems #749)
by Álvaro Herrero Héctor Quintián Emilio Corchado Francisco Javier Martínez de Pisón Hilde Pérez García Francisco Martínez Álvarez Alicia Troncoso Lora Pablo García Bringas José Luis Calvo RolleThis book of Advances in Intelligent and Soft Computing contains accepted papers presented at SOCO 2023 conference held in the beautiful and historic city of Salamanca (Spain) in September 2023. Soft computing represents a collection or set of computational techniques in machine learning, computer science, and some engineering disciplines, which investigate, simulate, and analyze very complex issues and phenomena. After a through peer-review process, the 18th SOCO 2023 International Program Committee selected 61 papers which are published in these conference proceedings and represents an acceptance rate of 60%. In this relevant edition, a particular emphasis was put on the organization of special sessions. Seven special sessions were organized related to relevant topics such as: Time Series Forecasting in Industrial and Environmental Applications, Technological Foundations and Advanced Applications of Drone Systems, Soft Computing Methods in Manufacturing and Management Systems, Efficiency and Explainability in Machine Learning and Soft Computing, Machine Learning and Computer Vision in Industry 4.0, Genetic and Evolutionary Computation in Real World and Industry, and Soft Computing and Hard Computing for a Data Science Process Model. The selection of papers was extremely rigorous to maintain the high quality of the conference. We want to thank the members of the Program Committees for their hard work during the reviewing process. This is a crucial process for creating a high-standard conference; the SOCO conference would not exist without their help.
18th International Conference on Soft Computing Models in Industrial and Environmental Applications: Salamanca, Spain, September 5–7, 2023, Proceedings, Volume 2 (Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems #750)
by Álvaro Herrero Héctor Quintián Emilio Corchado Francisco Javier Martínez de Pisón Hilde Pérez García Francisco Martínez Álvarez Alicia Troncoso Lora Pablo García Bringas José Luis Calvo RolleThis book of Advances in Intelligent and Soft Computing contains accepted papers presented at SOCO 2023 conference held in the beautiful and historic city of Salamanca (Spain) in September 2023.Soft computing represents a collection or set of computational techniques in machine learning, computer science, and some engineering disciplines, which investigate, simulate, and analyze very complex issues and phenomena.After a through peer-review process, the 18th SOCO 2023 International Program Committee selected 61 papers which are published in these conference proceedings and represents an acceptance rate of 60%. In this relevant edition, a particular emphasis was put on the organization of special sessions. Seven special sessions were organized related to relevant topics such as: Time Series Forecasting in Industrial and Environmental Applications, Technological Foundations and Advanced Applications of Drone Systems, Soft Computing Methods in Manufacturing and Management Systems, Efficiency and Explainability in Machine Learning and Soft Computing, Machine Learning and Computer Vision in Industry 4.0, Genetic and Evolutionary Computation in Real World and Industry, and Soft Computing and Hard Computing for a Data Science Process Model. The selection of papers was extremely rigorous to maintain the high quality of the conference. We want to thank the members of the Program Committees for their hard work during the reviewing process. This is a crucial process for creating a high-standard conference; the SOCO conference would not exist without their help.
18th International Probabilistic Workshop: IPW 2020 (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering #153)
by Dirk Proske Paulo B. Lourenço Jorge Branco José C. Matos Daniel V. Oliveira Rui A. Silva Hélder S. SousaThis volume presents the proceedings of the 18th International Probabilistic Workshop (IPW), which was held in Guimarães, Portugal in May 2021. Probabilistic methods are currently of crucial importance for research and developments in the field of engineering, which face challenges presented by new materials and technologies and rapidly changing societal needs and values. Contemporary needs related to, for example, performance-based design, service-life design, life-cycle analysis, product optimization, assessment of existing structures and structural robustness give rise to new developments as well as accurate and practically applicable probabilistic and statistical engineering methods to support these developments. These proceedings are a valuable resource for anyone interested in contemporary developments in the field of probabilistic engineering applications.
18th and 19th Century Porcelain Analysis: A Forensic Provenancing Assessment
by Howell G. EdwardsThis book addresses the contributions made by analytical chemistry to the characterisation of 18th and early 19th Century English and Welsh porcelains commencing with the earliest reports of Sir Arthur Church and of Herbert Eccles and Bernard Rackham using chemical digestion techniques and concluding with the most recent instrumental experiments, which together span more than a hundred years of study. From the earliest experiments which required necessarily the sacrifice of significant portions of each specimen, which may already have been damaged , to the latest experiments which needed only microsampling or the non-destructive interrogation of valuable perfect specimens a comprehensive survey is undertaken of more than twenty manufactories of quality porcelains. The correlation is made between the quantitative elemental oxide determinations of the scanning electron microscopic diffraction and Xray fluorescence data and the qualitative molecular spectroscopic Raman data to demonstrate their complementarity and use in the holistic forensic assessment of the origin of the fired procelains ; this will form the groundwork for the adoption of analytical techniques for the attribution of unknown or questionable procelains to their potential source factories . The book will also examine the perception of what constitutes a porcelain and its definitions and examines the assignment of porcelains to types which currently employs the definitions of hard paste , soft paste , hybrid , magnesian and bone china from the conclusions derived from the analytical data and a consideration of the raw materials employed in their manufacturing processes. During the discussion of this analytical evidence several themes and protocols have been established for its utilisation in the potential identification of porcelains and several case studies undertaken for this purpose are cited. The book will be of interest to analytical scientists , to museum ceramics curators and to ceramics historians.
19 Gifts of the Spirit
by Leslie R. FlynnCHARISMATIC? YOU CERTAINLY ARE ... IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN AT ALL.But perhaps not in the way the term is frequently used today. Charismata is a Greek word meaning "gifts of grace." It refers to the gifts or special abilities given to Christians by the Holy Spirit--all the gifts, not just speaking in tongues or miracles or healing.* What are the 19 gifts?* Are they all for today?* What is their purpose?* How can we discover and put to use our own gifts?All of these questions, plus a careful examination of gifts revealed in the Bible, are included in this in-depth study, first published in 1974. If you want to know what the Bible says about spiritual gifts, this book is for you.
19 Steps Up the Mountain
by Joseph P. BlankIt is the story of Dorothy and Bob DeBolt, who could not resist the appeal of children no one else wanted. Children of different races and nationalities, children with seemingly hopeless physical handicaps and bleak futures. It is the story of the children themselves, each learning what it meant to be loved, and what it was to overcome the most heart rending obstacles. Two parents. Nineteen children. And the single most unforgettable story that will ever leave you with mist in your eyes and joy in your heart. "A tonic for cynical and disheartened readers...This book tells clearly what it takes to be successful parents, especially when J.R.-a blind paraplegic-conquers his fear and makes it up the 19-step staircase 'mountain' alone"