DAVID ROGERS

The Privy Council is a centuries-old institution - yet, for an entity with such extensive influence over Britains history, we know relatively little about it. What exactly does it do? To whom is it accountable? Just how much power does it hold over us? Some say it has no power at all, although you might not agree if youd been sentenced to death in a former British overseas territory that still used the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as its court of appeal; or if you were a lecturer having a row with your college, where the University Chancellor was a member of the royal family. Or, indeed, if you were a Prime Minister trying to establish a Royal Charter to control the press. Traditionally an advisory body to the sovereign, the Privy Councils chequered past is full of scandals and secrecy, plots and counterplots - and while it may no longer have the authority to command a beheading, its reach continues to extend into both parliamentary and public life. In By Royal Appointment, David Rogers examines it all, taking us on a fascinating, anecdote-filled odyssey through the history of one of Englands oldest and most secretive government bodies.

Animation: Master is an affordable, powerful 3D program easy enough to be used by students, new 3D artists, and hobbyists, yet powerful enough for professional animators. Learning how to use A: M is made easier with the completely updated Animation: Master: A Complete Guide. This is the only book dedicated to A: M and it is the best resource for all levels of users. For those new to 3D graphics or A: M, you''ll learn the skills and fundamentals of 3D and discover how to master this incredibly powerful, low-c program. If you''re an experienced user, you''ll find insightful tips and explore the newest features. Using the wide variety of hands-on tutorials throughout the book, you''ll put 3D concepts into action while learning the ins-and-outs of A;M. Beginning with a review of the interface, you''ll progress through modeling basics, character modeling and rigging, to expressions, animation, lighting, and surfacing. From there you''ll move into the more advanced topics of special effects, including hair, cloth, and flocks, and finish up with rendering and compositing. So whether you''re a new user or an experienced power user, this is the one resource you''ll need to go beyond the basics with Animation: Master

The British Beach Groups were a combined force of men stationed on the Normandy Beaches from the initial landing until the last unit was disbanded a few weeks after D-Day. They performed many vital roles during the assault, including: arranging and controlling the movement of all personnel and vehicles from landing craft to inland assembly areas; moving stores from ships holds to dumps in the beach maintenance areas; developing and organising the beaches and beach maintenance areas for defence, movement and administration, including the evacuation of casualties and the recovery vehicles; providing a beach signal organisation; organising the removal and repatriation of casualties, prisoners of war and salvaged equipment; creating dumps to hold the petrol, ammunition, rations etc. that were being landed; and establishing assembly areas for arriving personnel and their vehicles. This book explores how this often-forgotten unit were the first to arrive and the last to leave one of historys greatest military operations and how their behind-the-scenes action saved lives and were essential for the success of the landings.