As a 20-year-old gunboat captain and certified U.S. Navy diver in the Mekong Delta, the author was responsible for both the vessel and the lives of its crew. Ambushes and firefights became the norm, along with numerous dives--almost 300 in 18 months. Forty years after the war, he returned as a tourist. This journal records his contrasting impressions of the Delta--alternately disturbing and enlightening--as seen first from a river patrol boat, then from a luxury cruise ship.
Between 1970 and 1975 Jon Swain, the English journalist portrayed in David Puttnam's film, The Killing Fields, lived in the lands of the Mekong river. This is his account of those years, and the way in which the tumultuous events affected his perceptions of life and death as Europe never could. He also describes the beauty of the Mekong landscape - the villages along its banks, surrounded by mangoes, bananas and coconuts, and the exquisite women, the odours of opium, and the region's other face - that of violence and corruption.
A bold new account of European imperialism told through the history of water In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a handful of powerful European states controlled more than a third of the land surface of the planet. These sprawling empires encompassed not only rainforests, deserts, and savannahs but also some of the world’s most magnificent rivers, lakes, marshes, and seas. Liquid Empire tells the story of how the waters of the colonial world shaped the history of imperialism, and how this imperial past still haunts us today. Spanning the major European empires of the period, Corey Ross describes how new ideas, technologies, and institutions transformed human engagements with water and how the natural world was reshaped in the process. Water was a realm of imperial power whose control and distribution were closely bound up with colonial hierarchies and inequalities—but this vital natural resource could never be fully tamed. Ross vividly portrays the efforts of officials, engineers, fisherfolk, and farmers to exploit water, and highlights its crucial role in the making and unmaking of the colonial order. Revealing how the legacies of empire have persisted long after colonialism ebbed away, Liquid Empire provides needed historical perspective on the crises engulfing the world’s waters, particularly in the Global South, where billions of people are faced with mounting water shortages, rising flood risks, and the relentless depletion of sea life.
An expert on cruises gives his advice. Packed with statistics, histories, lists, prices, and photographs, this guide delves into the details of more than 280 cruise ships. The pros and cons of voyages and ports of call are summarized with star evaluations and every detail is scrutinized. From shipboard menus and daily activity programs to physical details and recreation opportunities, every aspect of cruise vacations is weighed.
The Bradford Legacy is the story of Carter Bradford, a fabulously rich descendant of an American family of entrepreneurs with a financial empire worth billions. Carter is a seriously flawed human being suffering from destructive narcissism and is, by all standards of measurement, a sociopath. From his earliest years Carter has been manipulative and cruel but amazingly charming when the need was there. Following his grandfather, Hiram Bradford, Carter chooses a political career and sets his sights on the Presidency. As the story progresses Carter uses his wealth and political power, augmented by a willingness to commit murder, to reach his goals. In many ways Carter Bradford is an extreme example of the worst of any number of American politicians or, maybe he isn’t. Let the reader judge.
Jannik Reisberg is 26 years old when he embarks on the journey of a lifetime. With his degree in aeronautical engineering just in his pocket, he sets off into the wide world just a few days later. He doesn't know exactly what awaits him. What happens to you when you travel for so long? What happens when you are confronted with the dramatic contrasts of this world in a very short space of time? Questions that ultimately take him on the journey of his life. A rucksack, BVB jersey, sturdy shoes and the will to make it. Sometimes it takes no more and no less. What follows is a highly emotional ups and downs, an unimaginable journey that not only pushes his emotions to unimagined heights.
“The extent of detail given . . . is good not only for the novice cruiser finding their way around . . . but also for the veteran cruiser who wants to know the latest about the newest ships.” “This is the book with which to gain a full and thorough understanding of the wonderful world of cruising. Repeat cruisers and novices alike will gain from the volume of features, menus, daily schedules, photos, as well as details on every cruise ship and port of call throughout the world. This should be the encyclopedia for any cruise aficionado” (World of Cruising). “People who’ve never cruised before or those who have but find themselves faced with a confusing onslaught of new ships need to know a great deal, and this book goes a long way in providing it” (Chicago Tribune). “Stern’s Guide to the Cruise Vacation is one of the most comprehensive authorities and a must-have for both the novice and the seasoned cruiser” (Porthole Cruise Magazine).
