Deepwater Horizon: The Anatomy of a Disaster
October 12, 2010
Deepwater Horizon was supposed to be the cutting edge of energy exploration: drilling five thousand feet beneath the surface from the Gulf of Mexico, the $560 million rig would be indispensable in helping to solve the ongoing power crisis.
Then, on April 20, 2010, BP’s dismal safety record came home to roost. An explosion followed by a massive fireball resulted in eleven lives lost, the sinking of the rig, and also the release of thousands and thousands of barrels of crude oil into one from the world’s prime fishing grounds: tens of thousands and thousands of barrels suffocate the Gulf’s waters, and the resultant slick covers 2,500 square miles. Wildlife all through the region is devastated, and so is the human community dependent on harvesting the area’s resources.
Now, OR Books has joined with the Natural Resources Defense Council to release In Deep Water, the first guide to appear on this environmental catastrophe, the largest offshore spill in American history.
Written by Peter Lehner, executive director from the NRDC, together with Bob Deans, this book provides a brief account from the disaster as well as the policy failures that caused it––and lays out a blueprint to avoid similar catastrophes in the future.
PETER LEHNER, executive director of the National Resources Defense Council, also teaches environmental law at Columbia University Law School. Chief from the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s Office for eight years, he produced and led the environmental prosecution unit for New York City.
BOB DEANS, author from the River Where America Began: A Journey along the James, was the chief Asia correspondent for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other Cox newspapers, and he spent eight many years covering the White House. He is really a former president of the White Home Correspondents’ Association.
If you’re looking for something that connects the dots between the BP oil disaster, the harm it’s done to the Gulf of Mexico and the people paying the price, this book is it. In a clear and compelling voice, it explains the worst environmental catastrophe of our time, then shows the way forward to protect this national treasure, safeguard our future and break our destructive addiction to oil.
– Robert Redford
“The book is not so much about BP as it is about how we got to the point where drilling in inacessible spots became hugely profitable for oil companies … There is a real need for an assessment of the situation that goes beyond criticizing one company’s incompetence. Our oil addiction and how we get rid of it has to be at the heart of these discussions.”
– Peter Lehner
After Fidel Castro?
February 19, 2008
Fidel Castro resigned as President today, February 19th, after almost 50 years in power. He said he had no desire to continue as President or commander-in-chief. In 2006 he handed over the day-to-day running to his brother Raúl, who is 5 years younger than him.
Raúl is believed to favour a gradual opening of the economy while retaining firm political control. He has raised expectations of economic reforms to improve the daily lot of Cubans, but has yet to deliver.
Cuba-watchers say that younger economic reformers have been gaining in influence at the expense of hardline Fidel loyalists such as Felipe Pérez Roque, the Foreign Minister and Carlos Lage Dávila, Vice-President of the Council of State and Secretary of the Council of Ministers.
The audiobook After Fidel: The Inside Story of Castro’s Regime and Cuba’s Next Leader offers interesting insights.
In this compelling, behind-the-scenes account, former top CIA officer and Cuba expert Brian Latell examines the extraordinary Castro brothers and the impending dynastic succession of Fidel’s younger brother, Raul. Exploring the brothers’ remarkable relationship, he reveals how Fidel and Raul have collaborated, divided responsibilities, and resolved disagreements for more than forty-six years–a challenge to the notion that the little-known Raul has been an insignificant player.
The result is an intimate portrait of two enigmatic men and a new understanding of the psychology and motivation behind their actions. Based on his insider knowledge of Raul, Latell projects what kind of leader he will be and how the shift in power might influence U.S.-Cuban relations.
“Few Americans understand Cuba–past, present, and future–better than Brian Latell. He has combined an old CIA hand’s knowledge and insights with a clear, readable writer’s touch to bring both Castros–Fidel and his enigmatic brother Raul–to life.”–Newsweek
“Latell dispels many of the fallacies, myths, and legends about Fidel….Since existing biographical information on Raul Castro is sparse and scattered, the book takes on added value in bringing such material together….[A] readable narrative and an excellent addition to the growing literature on Cuba. Highly recommended.”–Library Journal
“Those hungry for a greater understanding of Fidel’s character and the complicated relationship between the Castro brothers will find priceless nuggets here.”–Publishers Weekly
The wake-up call
September 11, 2007
Wake-Up Call
Author : Kristen Breitweiser
Narrated By : Kristen Breitweiser
Publisher : Hachette Audio
Length : 6 hours
Type : Women
Autobiography
Historical
Politics
$29.98 $20.99
Buy Now…
"Sweets, I’m okay. I’m okay. Don’t worry… It’s not my building. " Kristen didn’t know what he was saying. He told her to turn on the television. He continued. "They are jumping out of the windows. Right across from me… Sweets, I’m safe… But I have to go."
The call ended abruptly and Kristen watched with horror as the second tower exploded. In that frozen instant, she felt in her heart that Ron had been killed.
WAKE-UP CALL is the deeply personal, often shocking, and ultimately inspirational story of a woman whose world was shattered by terrorism — and who, with no husband by her side or father for her child, found the courage and strength to not only build a new life, but become one of the country’s most outspoken activists and harshest critics of the current administration.
A former Rcpublican, Breitweiser, along with three other 9/11 widows (known to the media as "The Jersey Girls”), fought tirelessly for the creation of the 9/11 Commission, in spite of strong opposition from President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, and many other top government officials. While describing her journey, Breitweiser discloses eye-opening information about mistakes made prior to the 9/11 attacks, cover-ups discovered during her campaign for the 9/11 Commission, surprising encounters with some of the country’s most powerful officials, and unsettling facts about present-day national security.
Moving, hard-hitting, and revelatory, Kristen Breitweiser’s audiobook is a wake-up call no American can ignore.
KRISTEN BREITWEISER is one of the nations leading 9/11 activists. She appears frequently on national television as a commentator on matters related to terrorism and has been featured in the New York Times. Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Oprah, Glamour, and Ms., and is a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post and other publications. Breitweiser was named Woman of the Year by both Ms. and Glamour, and won the 2005 Ron Ridenhour Truth-Telling Award. She lives in New York City with her daughter.
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