Seasick

All life — whether on land or in the sea — depends on the oceans for two things: • Oxygen. Most of Earth’s oxygen is produced by phytoplankton in the sea. These humble, one-celled organisms, rather than the spectacular rain forests, are the true lungs of the planet. • Climate control. Our climate is regulated by the ocean’s currents, winds, and water-cycle activity. Sea Sick is the first book to examine the current state of the world’s oceans — the great unexamined ecological crisis of the planet — and the fact that we are altering everything about them; temperature, salinity, acidity, ice cover, volume, circulation, and, of course, the life within them. Alanna Mitchell joins the crews of leading scientists in nine of the global ocean’s hotspots to see firsthand what is really happening around the world. Whether it’s the impact of coral reef bleaching, the puzzle of the oxygen-less dead zones such as the one in the Gulf of Mexico, or the shocking implications of the changing Ph balance of the sea, Mitchell explains the science behind the story to create an engaging, accessible yet authoritative account.

A deadly virus has been unleashed aboard a passenger ship. Soon the ship will be overrun with blood and death. Rated 4.5 by over 700 people on Amazon

Using her signature style of diamond sharp social satire, page-turning action and plot, humor and pathos, Gloria Nagy has written a true tour de force of a novel, set on the perfect metaphorical site; the most lavish cruise ship in the world; a symbol of a world gone mad with excess. The ship, gliding serenely, reveals nothing of the turmoil within and its human cargo, mirroring the deception. Nothing and no one on the Palace of the Dolphins is what it seems, and none of them will return (those who do) unchanged. Gloria Nagy is the author of nine previous books including the N.Y. Times best-seller, A House in the Hamptons. She lives with her husband Richard Saul Wurman in Newport, R.I. They have four children, six grandchildren and three yellow labs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who do not cruise.C Previous praise for Gloria Nagy "Hip, Hilarious, Heartbreaking" Cosmopolitan "Fabulous entertainment...an essential summer read" Kirkus Reviews" A stunning accomplishment... funny and sad, erotic and ultimately very moving" Gael Greene, New York Magazine "Nagy's style is fresh, her pace brisk and her humor delightful." Los Angeles Times "Sensitive, humorous and compassionate" Elie Weisel, Nobel Laureate

Horatio Nelson did not enjoy robust good health. From his childhood he was prone to many of the ailments so common in the eighteenth century, and after he joined the Navy he contracted fevers that further undermined his strength: he was even seasick whenever he first put to sea. Nevertheless, he saw more action than most officers, and was often wounded the loss of the sight in one eye and a shattered arm were the most public, but by no means his only injuries. This personal experience of sickness made him uniquely aware of the importance of health and fitness to the efficient running of a fleet, and this new book investigates Nelson's personal contribution to improving the welfare of the men he commanded.It ranges from issues of diet, through hygiene to improved medical practices. Believing prevention was better than cure, Nelson went to great lengths to obtain fresh provisions, insisted on cleanliness in his ships, and even understood the relationship between mental and physical health, working tirelessly to keep up the morale of his men. Many other people contributed to what became a revolution in naval health but because of his heroic status Nelson's influence was hugely significant, a role which this book reveals in detail for the first time.

We have long lorded over the ocean. But only recently have we become aware of the myriad life-forms beneath its waves. We now know that this delicate ecosystem is our life-support system; it regulates the earth’s temperatures and climate and comprises 99 percent of living space on earth. So when we change the chemistry of the whole ocean system, as we are now, life as we know it is threatened. In Seasick, veteran science journalist Alanna Mitchell dives beneath the surface of the world’s oceans to give readers a sense of how this watery realm can be managed and preserved, and with it life on earth. Each chapter features a different group of researchers who introduce readers to the importance of ocean currents, the building of coral structures, or the effects of acidification. With Mitchell at the helm, readers submerge 3,000 feet to gather sea sponges that may contribute to cancer care, see firsthand the lava lamp–like dead zone covering 17,000 square kilometers in the Gulf of Mexico, and witness the simultaneous spawning of corals under a full moon in Panama. The first book to look at the planetary environmental crisis through the lens of the global ocean, Seasick takes the reader on an emotional journey through a hidden realm of the planet and urges conservation and reverence for the fount from which all life on earth sprang.

Publisher Description

What happens when a surgeon signs up for an extended mission on a ship and then discovers she has chronic seasickness? Simple. She makes sure there's always a bucket in the operating room! With a delightful sense of humor and a true storyteller's gift, Dr. Sine makes overseas missions work on the mercy ship Anastasis come alive for Christians of all ages.

Long ago in a fierce and frosty land, there lived a small and lonely Viking and his name was Hiccup. Read superbly by Alan Davies.