What Hurricane Katrina reveals about the fault lines of race and poverty in America-and what lessons we must take from the flood-from best-selling ''hip-hop intellectual'' Michael Eric Dyson Does George W. Bush care about black people? Does the rest of America? When Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, hundreds of thousands were left behind to suffer the ravages of destruction, disease, and even death. The majority of these people were black; nearly all were poor. The federal government's slow response to local appeals for help is by now notorious. Yet despite the cries of outrage that have mounted since the levees broke, we have failed to confront the disaster's true lesson; to be poor, or black, in today's ownership society, is to be left behind. Displaying the intellectual rigor, political passion, and personal empathy that have won him fans across the color line, Michael Eric Dyson offers a searing assessment of the meaning of Hurricane Katrina. Combining interviews with survivors of the disaster with his deep knowledge of black migrations and government policy over decades, Dyson provides the historical context that has been sorely missing from public conversation. He explores the legacy of black suffering in America since slavery, including the shocking ways that black people are framed in the national consciousness even today. With this call-to-action, Dyson warns us that we can only find redemption as a society if we acknowledge that Katrina was more than an engineering or emergency response failure. From the TV newsroom to the Capitol Building to the backyard, we must change the ways we relate to the black and the poor among us. What's at stake is no less than the future of democracy.

In this new book by Tony Cooke, he outlines three different storms in the Bible, why they came and how they got through. Jonahs storm, the Disciples storm and Pauls storm. Jonahs storm came in the midst of disobedience and he got out of his storm through repentance and consecration to do the will of God. Because he was delivered from his storm, Jonah made it to Ninevah and delivered Gods message and the people were spared. In the disciples storm, it came in the midst of perfect obedience. They got out of their storm when spiritual authority was exercised and the command of faith was spoken. The disciples brought Jesus to the other side and a demoniac was set free. The third storm outlined was Pauls storm and his came through the disobedience of others. He got out of his storm through perseverance and enduring faith. Paul made it to Rome and the gospel was presented to Cesar. No matter what kind of storm you are going through in life, you can persevere, survive and overcome and lead out the plan God has for you.

Jerry noticed that he was not in a mental fog any longer. In fact, it was like he had not taken a drink at all. The reality of all of this had sobered him up. There seemed to be a lot of noise coming from about two hundred yards away by some rocks. Jerry started to move in the direction of the rocks. There were a lot of lights and people around the edge of the rocks, and as Jerry got closer, he still could not see everything, but he could hear some whistling or high-pitched screaming. Jerry didn't understand until he got much closer and could see three or four dolphins caught in a small pool of water--too small, in fact, for them to survive, and the people around were talking and pointing their flashlights at them. Once Jerry reached them, he asked, "Does anyone know just what has caused the water to recede?" Just then an older man answered, "Well, I don't know for sure, but the news says that the entire west coast is just like this, and no one seems to know why."

Not since Betty Eadie’s Embraced by the Light has a personal account of a Near-Death Experience (NDE) been so utterly different from most others—or nearly as compelling. "This is a book you devour from cover to cover, and pass on to others. This is a book you will quote in your daily conversation. Storm was meant to write it and we were meant to read it." —from the foreword by Anne Rice In the thirty years since Raymond Moody’s Life After Life appeared, a familiar pattern of NDEs has emerged: suddenly floating over one’s own body, usually in a hospital setting, then a sudden hurtling through a tunnel of light toward a presence of love. Not so in Howard Storm’s case. Storm, an avowed atheist, was awaiting emergency surgery when he realized that he was at death’s door. Storm found himself out of his own body, looking down on the hospital room scene below. Next, rather than going “toward the light,” he found himself being torturously dragged to excruciating realms of darkness and death, where he was physically assaulted by monstrous beings of evil. His description of his pure terror and torture is unnerving in its utter originality and convincing detail. Finally, drawn away from death and transported to the realm of heaven, Storm met angelic beings as well as the God of Creation. In this fascinating account, Storm tells of his “life review,” his conversation with God, even answers to age-old questions such as why the Holocaust was allowed to take place. Storm was sent back to his body with a new knowledge of the purpose of life here on earth. This book is his message of hope.

Everyone has their own reasons for coming to Las Vegas. Shaun and Gabriel have come to escape the bloody tribal wars of the Garou. But the ulktimate force of unearthly Evil has joined forces with the mob to fight for control of one of the city's most palatial casino hotels. The Wheel of Destiny is spinning--and where the ball drops, death and destruction will surely follow.

The author of Men Explain Things to Me explores the moments of altruism and generosity that arise in the aftermath of disaster Why is it that in the aftermath of a disaster? whether manmade or natural?people suddenly become altruistic, resourceful, and brave? What makes the newfound communities and purpose many find in the ruins and crises after disaster so joyous? And what does this joy reveal about ordinarily unmet social desires and possibilities? In A Paradise Built in Hell, award-winning author Rebecca Solnit explores these phenomena, looking at major calamities from the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco through the 1917 explosion that tore up Halifax, Nova Scotia, the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. She examines how disaster throws people into a temporary utopia of changed states of mind and social possibilities, as well as looking at the cost of the widespread myths and rarer real cases of social deterioration during crisis. This is a timely and important book from an acclaimed author whose work consistently locates unseen patterns and meanings in broad cultural histories.

Offers a detailed account of the tornado that hit Topeka, Kansas, in 1966, including the tornado's path, the final total of property damage, myths about the area's ability to withstand the disaster, and stories from survivors.