One of the oddly satisfying things about a long writing career is when one of your old pieces of work gets rediscovered. Thirty-six years ago, I first published the book, “The Bhopal Syndrome,” with the International Organization of Consumers Union in Penang, Malaysia.
The following year, I published an American edition with Sierra Club Books in San Francisco. When The New York Timesreviewed the book, it noted that it was based on “the long-term ecological notion that we’re borrowing this planet from our grandchildren.”
I didn’t have any grandchildren at the time, but I was proud of the book when it appeared. Many people and groups helped me produce it, so many that it took two-and-a-half pages to list all of them. I traveled to a number of countries, including Indonesia, Taiwan, Mexico and Japan, with additional reporting with associates in India, South America and Europe.
Anyway, it was an enormous project while I was also executive director at the Center for Investigative Reporting, teaching journalism at the Graduate School of Journalism at U-C, Berkeley, and working on screenplays in Hollywood.
The book was well received but went out of print in the 90s. Although I’ve gotten queries about it over the years, usually around the anniversary of the horrendous industrial accident at Bhopal in December 1984, for a long time the book has been mainly just a memory.
But then Tuesday, after more than quarter century out of print, “The Bhopal Syndrome” came back into circulation thanks to an imprint known was Routledge Revivals.
Remembering that review in the Times, at that time the concept of borrowing the planet from my grandchildren was strictly theoretical for me. Now I have eight and I know that concept was right. Maybe some day one of them will pick up this new book and give it a read.
LATEST LINKS:
'Do not drink the water': Mississippi National Guard will hand out water as Jackson's main water facility fails (CNN)
VIDEO: Mississippi Residents Brace for Flooding (Associated Press)
First Thing: major sea-level rise from ice cap melting ‘now inevitable’ (Guardian)
Pakistan floods caused by 'monsoon on steroids,' says UN chief in urgent appeal (CNN)
The United Nations has issued a flash appeal on Tuesday for $160 million to help Pakistan cope with catastrophic floods that have killed more than 1,100 people, destroyed infrastructure and crops, and affected 33 million people. (Reuters)
Here are the signs Republicans’ hopes for a 'red wave' are receding ahead of the 2022 elections (NBC)
A letter from former President Donald Trump's lawyer argues that the commander in chief can declassify whatever he wants and that the "primary" law governing the handling of U.S. classified information doesn't apply to the president himself. The letter suggests the team may use a strategy anchored around presidential powers to defend Trump against accusations of taking classified documents to his Florida home. [AP]
Biden upset many members of the GOP by saying the MAGA movement and its promotion of authoritarianism was basically "semi-fascism." Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) reacted by saying there'd be "riots in the streets" if Trump is indicted for taking classified documents to Mar-a-Lago... which is the kind of rhetoric Biden was referring to, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. [HuffPost]
Biden to take on Republicans over gun control, crime and attacks on FBI (Guardian)
To fully understand why many Republicans are upset that Biden canceled up to $20,000 of student loan debt for people who desperately need it, we need to look at one of the major tenants of white supremacy, writes Stephen A. Crockett Jr. Cruelty and suffering is built in. [HuffPost]
Ukraine Launches Southern Offensive, as Inspectors Head to Nuclear Plant (NYT)
Russia and the U.S. are entering 'dangerous and uncharted’ nuclear territory (Politico)
Heavy fighting rages in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied south (AP)
Ukraine lures Russian missiles with decoys of U.S. rocket system (WP)
Battle for Kherson begins as Russia sends in military convoys (CNBC)
Afghanistan’s Women Are on Their Own — How the International Community Turned Its Back (Foreign Affairs)
The Evacuation of Afghanistan Never Ended — A year after the last U.S. military flights left, some Afghans who are vulnerable to retribution from the Taliban are being resettled in the U.S. But others are stuck in third-party countries, and many remain trapped in Afghanistan, at great risk. (New Yorker)
The Biden administration plans to ask the U.S. Congress to approve an estimated $1.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, including 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles, amid heightened tensions with China. (Reuters)
Elon Musk says whistleblower’s testimony gives him more reasons to dump Twitter deal (Verge)
Consumer confidence rises for first time in four months on cheaper gas and slower inflation (MarketWatch)
You’ve Probably Seen Yourself in Your Memories — Remembering your life in the third person is a little creepy and surprisingly common. (Atlantic)
Marijuana use is outpacing cigarette use for the first time on record (NPR)
Gene editing could revive a nearly lost tree. The American chestnut. There used to be billions in forests from Maine to Mississippi, but an exotic fungus nearly drove it out of existence. The plan is to create genetically modified chestnuts that are disease-resistant. With approval from regulators, researchers hope they could remake U.S. forests and help fight climate change. (WP)
Respectful Drivers Pull Over To Side Of Road To Let Pizza Delivery Guy Through (The Onion)
No comments:
Post a Comment