A panoramic social history of hurricanes in the Caribbean The diverse cultures of the Caribbean have been shaped as much by hurricanes as they have by diplomacy, commerce, or the legacy of colonial rule. In this panoramic work of social history, Stuart Schwartz examines how Caribbean societies have responded to the dangers of hurricanes, and how these destructive storms have influenced the region's history, from the rise of plantations, to slavery and its abolition, to migrations, racial conflict, and war. Taking readers from the voyages of Columbus to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Schwartz looks at the ethical, political, and economic challenges that hurricanes posed to the Caribbean’s indigenous populations and the different European peoples who ventured to the New World to exploit its riches. He describes how the United States provided the model for responding to environmental threats when it emerged as a major power and began to exert its influence over the Caribbean in the nineteenth century, and how the region’s governments came to assume greater responsibilities for prevention and relief, efforts that by the end of the twentieth century were being questioned by free-market neoliberals. Schwartz sheds light on catastrophes like Katrina by framing them within a long and contentious history of human interaction with the natural world. Spanning more than five centuries and drawing on extensive archival research in Europe and the Americas, Sea of Storms emphasizes the continuing role of race, social inequality, and economic ideology in the shaping of our responses to natural disaster.

In the near future, political tensions between the United States and China are at an all-time high. Then a catastrophic explosion on the moon cleaves a vast gash in the lunar surface, and the massive electromagnetic pulse it unleashes obliterates Earth's electrical infrastructure. To plumb the depths of the newly created lunar fissure and excavate the source of the power surge, the feuding nations are forced to cooperate on a high-risk mission to return mankind to the moon. Now, a diverse, highly skilled ensemble of astronauts--and a pair of maverick archaeologists plucked from the Peruvian jungle--will brave conspiracy on Earth and disaster in space to make a shocking discovery. Ocean of Storms is an epic adventure that spans space and time as its heroes race to fulfill an ancient mission that may change the course of humanity's future.

Alli-Kar, a white-hole portal from another universe, rains meteoroids onto the surface of the planet Kelanni. But the so-called "lodestones" behave according to different physical laws, transforming Kelanni's society. With the aid of the fearsome Keltar in their flying cloaks, the Kelanni are being put to forced labor to mine the lodestones. Shann, an orphan with a fiery disposition, witnesses a battle between a Keltar and a stranger bearing a similar flying cloak. She tracks down the stranger, learning of the technology behind the Keltars' power and joining him on a mission to free the slaves and cut off their supply of lodestones. Meanwhile Keris, a Keltar, is sent on a mission to track down the rebels. She is attacked by a flying creature and saved by the enigmatic Chandara. At their Great Tree, she learns that a mysterious "Prophet" is out to destroy the Kelanni people. Their only hope is a powerful instrument hidden in the distant past. Pursued by Keltar, the party will encounter bizarre creatures, ancient technologies and terrifying dangers. Finally, they must seek to cross a massive storm barrier in order to reach the other side of their world, where a world-shaking revelation awaits.

A true story of men against the sea.

"There is an island named Pushkara, and the people who control the world don't want you to know it exists. But one man, one woman and a cryptic manuscript are going to change all that. Storms at sea is Mark Schult's heavily illustrated novella exploring the border between what we want to believe is true and the reality we prefer to keep concealed. It starts as a hard-boiled mystery and opens up into a breathtaking journey through cryptic history, cautionary science fiction and a scpeculative vision of the deep future"--Back cover

This is a historical study of great wind storms over the last 500-600 years, with meteorological maps and wind measurements.

In times past those suffering from cyclical dementia were frequently referred to as suffering from "lunar madness". The book's title, Storms on the Sea of Tranquility is an allusion to that practice. The Sea of Tranquility is of course a geographical feature of our moon. Ironically, those suffering from lunar madness frequently lived a pattern of near normal tranquility that was interrupted cyclically by angry storms of manic madness or deep depression. The book follows the life of a young lady, one Mae Bailey as she struggles with an untreated mental illness. Her family, like most families of the 1950's feared the stigma that a mentally ill family member might bring upon them. They failed to acknowledge her disease and instead covered up her irrational behavior in her manic cycles and the deep depression that also often followed. Ultimately, Mae ends up deserted by both of the men who have fathered her children. Alone and very troubled she and her children enter the welfare system. As she slides deeper into alcoholism, prostitution and a life plagued by mental illness she loses her children to foster care. The book follows the journey that her children travel as they go through the foster care system. It chronicles the difficulties for both the foster children and their foster parents as they travel the difficult path of foster care. The story tells of the heart wrenching separation of the children as two of them are adopted and the other left to survive in the system until he is grown. The book celebrates those more noble among us who reach out to intervene in the life of those most vulnerable among us, foster children. Although fictionalized, the experiences of the book are real life experiences, experienced by the author.