Other Waters

"A Jane Austen-ish plot gets a delicious Indian accent in this effervescent novel by former PEOPLE editor Gage . . . in this exotic, mysterious setting, cultures collide, love grows more complicated and Maya finally discovers just whom – and where – she is really meant to be." --People, **** Maya is an accomplished psychiatry resident with a supportive boyfriend, loving family, and bustling New York social life. When her grandmother dies in India, a family squabble over property ignites a curse that drifts across continents and threatens Maya's life. Or so her father says-- Maya (being a modern woman, an American, and a doctor) doesn't believe in curses, Brahman, or otherwise. But then a series of calamities befalls her family, her career and relationship both falter, and Maya starts to worry. She hopes a trip back to India with her best friend, Heidi, will enable her to remove the curse, save her family, and put her own life back in order. Thus begins a journey into Maya's parallel worlds-- New York and an India filled with loving and annoying relatives, vivid colors, and superstitious customs she doesn't, and does, believe in. But her time in India isn't just a visit "home" or a chance to explore the strengthening and suffocating bonds of family, it's also the beginning of a cathartic quest toward forging one identity out of two cultues as Maya learns unexpected lessons about life and love.

The Clean Water Act prohibits the discharge of dredged or fill material into fed reg'd waters without first obtaining a Army Corps of Eng. permit. Before 2001, the Corps asserted jurisdiction over most waters, if migratory birds could use them. However, in Jan. 2001, the Supreme Court concluded that the Corps exceeded its authority in asserting jurisdiction over such waters based solely on their use by birds. This report examines the extent to which the Corps: processes data it uses for making jurisdictional determinations; documents decisions that it does not have jurisdiction; is using its remaining authority to assert jurisdiction over isolated, intrastate, nonnavigable waters; & EPA are collecting data to assess the impact of the court's 2001 ruling.