Cleaning Up
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A wonderful legal thriller!
  • Gripping Legal Drama Makes Great Reading
  • Highly detailed, but misspells a couple of Alaskan places
Cleaning Up
David Lebedoff
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684837064

Amazon.com

The day before Good Friday 1989, Captain Joseph Hazelwood and the crew of the Exxon Valdez pulled out of the northernmost ice-free port in Alaska, bound for Long Beach, California. Just hours after weighing anchor, though, the mammoth supertanker ran aground on Bligh Reef, spilling millions of gallons of oil into Prince William Sound. Cleanup workers labored for months rinsing rocky beaches and swabbing sea otters, but Cleaning Up is about when things really got sticky, as waves of slick plaintiff's lawyers washed ashore along with a flotsam of allegations and a jetsam of subpoenas.

Directing the controversial and complex civil action was an ambitious environmental lawyer from Minneapolis, Brian Boru O'Neill. From the beginning, his strategy was to stage a morality play pitting thousands of ordinary Alaskans whose lives and livelihoods depended on Prince William Sound's vast natural resources against a colossal multinational corporation reckless enough to leave 53 million gallons of toxic crude oil in the hands of an alcoholic. But, as Lebedoff writes, no case is that clear-cut; Exxon is no evil empire, and O'Neill foreclosed on small farms before he became a populist crusader. Cleaning Up meticulously reconstructs how one of the worst environmental disasters in history led to the biggest drunk-driving case of all time, but Lebedoff takes the nonfiction legal thriller one step further, personalizing the enormous impersonal devastation, adding flesh and faces to the skeletal frame provided by headlines. --Tim Hogan

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A wonderful legal thriller!.......2006-11-07

I picked this book up recently, and was surprised by how quickly and totally I was absorbed by it's tale. Everyone knows about the Exxon Valdez oil spill, but this book stands out because it delves into the court case, and the lives of the lawyers, in a clear, personal way. You feel like you know all these people, both their good and bad sides. Lebedoff is also very skilled at explaining the legal aspects in an interesting and clear way.

5 out of 5 stars Gripping Legal Drama Makes Great Reading.......1999-03-02

David Lebedoff is an excellent author. He goes to great lengths to portray factually and fairly the complicated story of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and ensuing trial. Despite the complex legal issues involved, Lebedoff skillfully makes the book read as though it were a novel. I would reccomend this book to anyone in need of a good read.

3 out of 5 stars Highly detailed, but misspells a couple of Alaskan places.......1998-08-27

On March 24, 1989, the 987 foot oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef, spilling 11 million gallons of North Slope crude oil into the once pristine waters of Prince William Sound, creating the largest oil spill in U.S. history. David Lebedoff offers a detailed account of the spill and the legal wranglings surrounding the record $5 billion judgment against Exxon, a judgment that is still under appeal. Lebedoff attempts to provide an even-handed look at the spill and the development of the legal case that grew out of it, but is hampered by the fact that Exxon refused to provide comment. This is not the author's fault, but readers should be advised that this book gives more insight into the perspectives of the victims and their attorneys than it does into public relations strategies that Exxon may have employed and so on.

_Cleaning Up_ is thorough and interesting. I have only two concerns about the book. First, while the author indicates that he gleaned information from thousands of pages of court documents, trial transcripts, and so on, these works are not cited in the text. As someone who is interested in research about the spill, I found the lack of a bibliography a bit frustrating. Second, as someone who resides in Alaska, I was put off by the misspelling of at least two locations in Alaska. The Robinson firm credited with providing the client base for the case should correctly be identified as located in Soldotna, Alaska, not "Soldatna." Moreover, the jurors identified as residing in the "Mar-Su Valley" should correctly be identified as living in the Mat-Su Valley, an abbreviation for Matanuska-Susitna, an area about an hour north of Anchorage. Whether the fault of the author or the editorial staff, these misspellings reflected a lack of attention to detail.

All in all, _Cleaning Up_ provides interesting insights into the legal dimensions of the Exxon Valdez spill. It should be of interest to those who want to learn more about corporate lawsuits and those with an interest in the spill itself. While Alaska Natives, those in commerical fishing, and others wait to receive money for damages caused by the spill, Exxon continues to earn interest on the money set aside to pay the judgment. In fact, the 8/4/1998 Anchorage Daily News (p. A1, A8) reported that the account is earning $9.40 per second in interest. At this rate, Exxon will have earned interest in the amount of the judgment long before they pay out a dime to the victims of the spill.
Sound Truth & Corporate Myth$: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • An Environmental Must Read!
  • Great book for college courses
  • A good read!
  • Urgent action required
  • Alaska Resident Says Book Rocks
Sound Truth & Corporate Myth$: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Riki Ott
Manufacturer: Dragonfly Sisters Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0964522667
Release Date: 2005-01-01

Book Description

Dr. Riki Ott exposes the profound legacy of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and how readers can help reshape our global energy future.

The author chronicles the long-lasting environmental harm to Prince William Sound, Alaska, and investigates the health problems suffered by many cleanup workers. Exxon's spill provided a portal to understanding a startling truth: oil is much more toxic than we previously thought. Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$ frames the larger story of discovery of the truly toxic nature of oil.

This book shows how one particular fraction of crude oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs, may well be the new DDT of the 21st century. In 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed 22 PAHs in crude oil as "persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) pollutants." Sharing this list of extreme human health hazards are the more commonly known pollutants--mercury, lead, dioxin, PCBs, and DDT. The latter are all highly regulated chemicals and some, such as DDT and PCBs, have been banned in the United States.

Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$ traces 15 years of lingering harm to humans and wildlife from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. It reveals how corporate greed, government short-sightedness, and manipulation of the truth and the media have kept the public from learning the deadly nature of PAHs. The author provides relevant information and practical recommendations for people and policy-makers at this critical juncture in the history of civilization. This book will inspire people to reduce their own consumption of fossil fuels and, in so doing, help permanently shift society to a clean energy future.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars An Environmental Must Read!.......2005-11-19

Dr. Riki Ott has devoted her life to uncovering the truth about the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. She has a Ph.D. in Marine Toxicology and has worked as a commercial fisherwoman off the shores of Alaska. She was one of the first people to witness the devastation caused by the oil spill. She knew this was the big one and she asked herself the question, "I know enough to make a difference, but do I care enough for the Sound to commit my life to this?" Clearly Dr. Ott does care enough as she has worked tirelessly to educate people about the truth about what really happened and about the toxicity of oil.

This is the story of people who care and people who don't. Most people have heard a bit about the spill, but most people have not heard about the health damage done to workers involved with the clean up. Many people stepped up to help the minute they heard about the spill, putting their lives on hold to do what they could to clean up the spill not realizing the devastating effects it would have on their own health. Many people suffer with symptoms of a mysterious illness due to the toxicity of the oil they were inhaling along with the powerful and toxic cleaning agents. Imagine being on an oil-covered beach surrounded by dead and decaying animals "engulfed in clouds of oil mist and saltwater steam." (89) It is hard to imagine enduring even one minute of this let alone weeks on end without proper safety equipment. Dr. Ott tells the stories of the people who unknowingly sacrificed themselves to a greater good and the people who lied and covered up the truth about the damaging health effects from oil exposure.

This is also the story of the non-human inhabitants affected by the oil spill. It is the story of the birds, mammals, fish, plankton and other life in Prince William Sound. How many were lost due to oiling? Are populations recovering? What are the long-lasting effects? Dr. Ott has put all the studies together to give a broad overview on the subject. There are 64 pages of references to this book! Dr. Ott has interviewed people and read all she could find to compile what is known at this point. This book provides a comprehensive look at pre-spill studies, early oil spill studies, ecosystem studies, and the status of the Sound.

This is not an easy book to read because it exposes such awful truths, not just about Exxon's oil spill, but about our own contribution, from fossil fuel use, to damaging our health and our environment. However, this book leaves readers feeling hopeful as Dr. Ott takes the third part of the book to discuss her recommendations to reduce risk of oil spills and oil pollution, inspiring people everywhere to take action by supporting responsible companies and doing what they can to reduce consumption of fossil fuels.

It is hard for me to find the words to adequately express what a tremendous contribution this book makes to the world. It should be in every library in the country and instructors should include it in the readings for courses in ethics, environmental sciences, business, and others. I highly recommend this book to everyone because this is a story that needs to be told lest we continue on our same path making the same mistakes.

C.J. Wong, M.S.(Biology), M.S. (Lib. Info. Sci.)
Editor, Organic Family Magazine

5 out of 5 stars Great book for college courses.......2005-05-16

Dr. Ott's book will serve as an excellent supplement to course syllabi around the country. The book's interdisciplinary approach makes it a perfect educational tool for a variety of departments - public health, environmental studies, ecology, and sociology to name a few. Ott's ability to combine rigourous science with an accessbile writing style offers an engaging expose of oil's effects on humans and nature. Perhaps just as important, the book also presents students and teachers with an inspiring model of how one scientist's passion and determination can uncover truths of global importance.

Highly recommended for teachers and students.

5 out of 5 stars A good read!.......2005-03-01

Dr. Ott , like the lone pedestrian facing a tank about to run him over, faces the giant Exxon. In Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$, Ott reveals the far reaching effects of the Valdez oil spill on human health, wildlife populations, and the environment. Worker safety and environmental laws based on antiquated science need to be revamped, the industry needs to be held fully accountable and finally we need to take a look at ourselves and the role we can play in reducing the toxicity of our environment. This journey with Dr. Ott, through the initial devastation and lingering after effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, tells the incredible magnitude of the disaster. Through her first hand account we are transported to Prince William Sound, and hear the silencing of the birds, see the slick lapping the shore and smell the inescapable fumes. We also learn that drilling is no longer necessary when looking for oil in Alaska, just scrap away some rocks and a little sand and there on the beaches you'll find it.

5 out of 5 stars Urgent action required.......2005-02-18

Dr. Ott's book is not only an exceptionally good read but her message must reach our Senators and Representatives now and action must be taken. Dependence on oil is NOT the way of the future. It is highly toxic not only to the environment but to human health as well. We need to start now, to conserve our oil reserves and develop alternative energy sources or the chances are, that our retirement years will be the setting for a major economic shift toward the worst.

If President Bush would like to enter the history books as a man of incredible foresight, he'd better pick up this banner and start leading us in that direction now.

5 out of 5 stars Alaska Resident Says Book Rocks.......2005-01-04

As a lifelong resident of the area affected by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, I was ecstatic when this crusader, Dr. Ott, accurately portrayed the spill. Not only does Dr. Ott expose Exxon's myths and public deceptions, but she does justice to the thousands of residents affected by the spill.

This book personalizes the disaster by adding a human dimension without compromising fact. If you believe that Prince William Sound has recovered from the effects of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Dr. Ott's book will show you how Exxon has deceived us all.

Overall, a groundbreaking worthwhile read!!
Insiders' Guide to Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska: Including the Kenai Peninsula, Prince William Sound, and Denali National Park (Insiders' Guide Series)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Insiders' Guide to Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska: Including the Kenai Peninsula, Prince William Sound, and Denali National Park (Insiders' Guide Series)
    Deb Vanasse
    Manufacturer: Insiders' Guide
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0762740280

    Book Description

    From breathtaking mountains to untamed coastlines, The Insider's Guide to Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska features Prince William Sound, the Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage, and Denali National Park.

    Prince William Sound (Alaska Geographic)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Prince William Sound (Alaska Geographic)

      Manufacturer: Alaska Geographic Society
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      ASIN: 1566610087

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      Exploring Alaska's Prince William Sound, its fiords, islands, glaciers, and wildlife
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Exploring Alaska's Prince William Sound, its fiords, islands, glaciers, and wildlife
        Neil C Johannsen
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        ASIN: 0914164031
        Sea Otter Rescue
        Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
        • Great Book
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        Sea Otter Rescue

        Manufacturer: Puffin
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        ASIN: 014056621X

        Book Description

        When the Exxon Valdez struck the rocks in Prince William Sound, Alaska, nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the water. The result was an oil slick which threatened all of the area wildlife, especially the sea otters. This is the story of the animal rescue experts who went to Alaska to lend a hand. Illustrated with the author's own photographs, Sea Otter Rescue is a fascinating first-hand account of the heroic measures taken to save the lives of hundreds of sea otters.

        "Inspirational and sobering." --Kirkus Reviews

        "Smith provides a fascinating look at the dedicated individuals improvising tools and techniques in a desperate attempt to help the otters." --Kirkus Reviews

        * A Picture Puffin
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        * 64 pages
        * Ages 7 up

        Customer Reviews:

        4 out of 5 stars Great Book.......2002-04-08

        I have to say that this is a great book that shows you the passion an author can have for what he or she is writing about(especially if the author explains his reasoning, feelings, and regrets about his book to you !*personally*!). Not to mention the information it gives you on otters and oils spills. It teaches you how bad it can be for a disaster of this monstrous preportion to occur and why you should do all in your power to stop it. It makes you sit there and wonder what you can do to help your environment!

        5 out of 5 stars Sea Otter Rescue.......2000-11-16

        I thought "Sea Otter Rescue: The Aftermath of an Oil Spill" was a wonderful book with universal appeal. The photographs taken by the author Roland Smith were heartwarming and sometimes disturbing. "Sea Otter Rescue" is the story of the Exxon Valdez accident in Prince William Sound in Alaska and the superhuman effort to save the lives of the sea otters affected by the oil. The author, Roland Smith, was among the volunteers who rushed to Alaska to try to save these sweet animals. This is his story and the story of the others who took part in this effort. Great humanitarian story.
        Alaska's Prince William Sound
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Alaska's Prince William Sound
          Marybeth Holleman
          Manufacturer: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
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          ASIN: 0882405292

          Book Description

          Whether one is planning a trip to Prince William Sound or remembering one, this fascinating pocket guide is a must-read that explores how the sound was formed, considers the effects of oil spills and earthquakes, and profiles the native peoples and diversity of plants and animals of the region. 50 color photos. Map.
          Southcentral Alaska: Including Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula, Susitna Valley and Prince William Sound (Umbrella Guides)
          Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
          • An insiders guide, but a bit old
          Southcentral Alaska: Including Anchorage, Kenai Peninsula, Susitna Valley and Prince William Sound (Umbrella Guides)
          Scott McMurren
          Manufacturer: Umbrella Books
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          Binding: Paperback

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          Customer Reviews:

          3 out of 5 stars An insiders guide, but a bit old.......2001-01-02

          I bought this book as it appeared to be the only guide that focused solely on general travel in the Southcentral region of Alaska. I didn't need information on Kotzebue or Nome or even Denali, so I thought this specialized guide would be better.

          The main strength of this book comes from Mr. McMurren's intimate familiarity with the area. This is shown in his very precise driving directions and little details like the names of the owners of various restaurants and hotels. But his familiarity may have caused him to leave out two things important to travelers: many location-specific items, and general Alaska travel info. These location-specific items would include suitability for children and the disabled, opening and closing dates/times, prices, availability of food, etc. A chapter on general info for any traveler to Alaska could have included best (and worst) dates to travel to the area, climate, general costs, general availability of hotels, a calendar of regional festivals, etc. Sure I could get this from the Internet, but I'd rather have it all in one place that I can carry with me.

          And speaking of the Internet, this book was last updated in 1995, so some of the information is out-of-date. There are no web sites or e-mail addresses listed for any of the businesses, agencies, or traveler's bureaus.

          Although a handy specialized guide to Southcentral Alaska, I'd recommend supplementing it with another, more up-to-date guide book, even if that one has a lot of info on parts of Alaska you don't plan to visit.
          Out of the Channel: The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound
          Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
          • Universal guilt
          • A humane account of a whitewashed catastrophe
          • A brilliant account of the Valdez oilspill and its aftermath
          Out of the Channel: The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound
          John Keeble
          Manufacturer: Eastern Washington University Press
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          Binding: Hardcover

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          ASIN: 0910055548

          Book Description

          Ten years later, the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound remains the largest tanker spill in the history of North America, and in its devastating effects upon wildlife and habitat, arguably the most damaging tanker spill in the history of the world. First released in 1991, John Keeble's account, Out of the Channel, combined on-the-scene witnessing of the oil spill's lethal results with analysis of its ramifications upon ecology, community, economy, law, the nature of public information, and upon the American mythos. The aftermath of the oil spill, and no less transforming, the spill of Exxon's money and power, reached into every sector of Alaskan life as well as into the conscience of the people of the lower forty-eight states. The event is now seen as one of a handful of signal ecological disasters of the twentieth century.

          The new "Tenth Anniversary' edition of Out of the Channel adds to its evocative, original text a new and full assessment of the permutations and twists of big money, big litigation, and "petroleum speak" from the vantage point of several years' remove, as well as an account of the 1991, $1 billion civil settlement between Exxon, the U.S. Justice Department, and the State of Alaska-the largest such environmental settlement ever. In this now definitive book on the oil spill, all the primary concerns of the first edition are updated with new material, including the cause of the ship's grounding on Bligh Reef, the fate of Captain Joseph Hazelwood, the long lasting effects of the spill, the projected death toll among animals, the little-known 1993 fisherman's tanker blockade, late-developing evidence about the true quantity of oil spilled, the benefits and abuses of professional science, as well as the heartening results of citizen pressure to improve oil shipping procedures in Prince William Sound and to protect fragile habitat.

          Customer Reviews:

          4 out of 5 stars Universal guilt.......2001-03-25

          Newspaper stories about the oil spill created the impression that the cause of the accident was simply that the captain was drunk. This book shows that the real situation was far more complex. The captain was definitely not drunk. He did have a few drinks, which is against regulations. Even after all the analysis it is not clear what exactly went wrong. The fact that the captain had a few drinks was not the only breach of regulations. None of the officers had a six-hour off duty time in the twelve-hour period before departure. The ship was single hulled instead of double hulled as was foreseen when the oil terminal was built. When Congress granted permission to build the pipeline and the terminal one of the conditions was that there would be a state-of-the-art contingency plan for oil spills. There was nothing of the sort. A Vessel Traffic Services station was supposed to monitor the movement of the ships through the strait. Due to cost cutting measures the station was unable to monitor the movement of the ship. A major cause of inefficiency in the clean up was the lack of clarity about who was in charge, the Coast Guard or Exxon. It is not just the captain that acted irresponsibly, so did all parties concerned. This is described in one part of the book. The second part of the book describes the impact of the oil spill and especially of the clean up on the communities affected. Each of the communities split in the middle. Half of the members took the position of trying to squeeze as much money out of Exxon as possible whilst the other half did not want to have anything to do with Exxon. Exxon did not succeed in engaging the communities in a positive way. The third part describes the nature in Alaska. These descriptions are wonderful and make you want to go there. These three parts are interwoven. The advantage is that the reader gets a three dimensional understanding of what happened: the responsibility for the disaster and the clean up, the impact on different members of the community and the impact on nature. The author places the ultimate responsibility on the consumer. He writes, " the American population prefers to live in a fog and is willing to accept almost anything in return for the opportunity to keep its gas tanks topped up" (with cheap gas). The combination of corporations maximising short-term profits and consumers closing their eyes to the consequences of their behaviour makes one worried. There must be a better way.

          5 out of 5 stars A humane account of a whitewashed catastrophe.......1999-10-30

          Out of the Channel should be required reading for anyone who thinks environmentally ... not just environmentalists, but students, political and economic theorists, and most of all, writers. I had the good fortune to learn a great deal about writing from John Keeble, and reading his book is an education all by itself. As a rigorous study of the physical and human impact of the Exxon Valdez disaster, Out of the Channel is a comprehensive anatomy, a text that does not shirk any of the heavy load its vast subject demands. Without taking the easy route of righteous anger, Keeble explores every nuance of the oil spill, and he follows that tenacious blot of Prudhoe Bay crude as it seeps out of the tangible world and into the minds and spirits of the permanent and temporary inhabitants of Prince William Sound. This tenth anniversary edition, with the expanded coverage allowed by the perspective of time, is a gift that should not be overlooked.

          5 out of 5 stars A brilliant account of the Valdez oilspill and its aftermath.......1997-12-04

          John Keeble, whose writing focuses on the issues facing the American Northwest, paints a memorable picture of the Exxon Valdez oilspill and its aftermath. Asked by the Greenwich Village Voice to write an article on the spill, he travels to Alaska and observes first-hand the efforts made to restore the land and the wildlife. However, the more he observes the more he is haunted by two observations: 1) that the size of the oil companies, and the entangled relationship between the companies and the government, is enormously greater than we have suspected, and 2) that the vast amounts of money poured into the clean-up effort causes many to view that money as their goal. His investigations into the clean-up follow a theme he develops in his other works: that the intrusion of a company or government upon the land inevitably causes exploitation; and those who live in that land must invariably suffer the consequences. Torn between the desires to make money, to clear the oil, and to downplay the scope of the incident, the people involved with clean-up waste a good deal of their effort. The more damage Keeble assesses, the more in tune he becomes with the suffering of the people and animals truly hurt, and ultimately, the reader, too, feels the chill that shakes the author at each new discovery.
          A History of Prince William Sound Alaska
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            A History of Prince William Sound Alaska

            Manufacturer: Prince William Sound Books
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            AlaskaAlaska | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
            ASIN: 1877900125

            Product Description

            complete history of this part of Alaska from early explorers 1741 - statehood in 1959

            Books:

            1. Compact disc set for use with Music in Our World
            2. Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
            3. Day Hikes Yellowstone National Park: West Yellowstone to Old Faithful (Day Hike Guides, No. 12)
            4. DNA Repair and Mutagenesis
            5. DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES, A: MY STORY
            6. Earth and All the Stars: Reconnecting with Nature Through Hymns, Stories, Poems, and Prayers from the World's Great Religions and Cultures
            7. Ecological Restoration in the San Francisco Bay Area
            8. Ecologically Based Municipal Land Use Planning
            9. Empowered by Empathy : 25 Ways to Fly in Spirit
            10. Endless Voyage TeleWebCourse in Oceanography

            Books Index

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