Doctors, nurses, and other workers in cancer care are increasingly aware of the need to improve their ability to interact effectively with cancer patients and their relatives, and colleagues. This book focuses primarily on the skills and strategies needed for effective communications between health professionals and patients trying to adapt to a fear-provoking diagnosis and an uncertain future. The practical guidelines have been tested over the years in clinical practice and validated by those using them.

Located on the left bank of the Chao Phya River, Thailand's capital, Krungthep, known as Bangkok to Westerners and "the City of Angels" to Thais, has been home to smugglers and adventurers since the late eighteenth century. During the 1970s, it became a modern Casablanca to a new generation of treasure seekers, from surfers looking to finance their endless summers to wide-eyed hippie true believers and lethal marauders left over from the Vietnam War.

Moving a shipment of Thai sticks from northeast Thailand farms to American consumers meant navigating one of the most complex smuggling...