Natural disasters dont matter for the reasons we think they do. They generally dont kill a huge number of people. Most years more people kill themselves than are killed by Natures tantrums. And using standard measures like Gross Domestic Product (GDP) it is difficult to show that disasters significantly interrupt the economy.Its what happens after the disasters that really matters-when the media has lost interest and the last volunteer has handed out a final blanket; and people are left to repair their lives. What happens is a stark expression of how unjustly unequal our world has become. The elite make out well-whether they belong to an open market capitalist democracy or a closed authoritarian socialist state. In Myanmar-a country ruled by a xenophobic military junta-the generals and their cronies declared areas where rice farms were destroyed by Cyclone Nargis as blighted and simply took the land. In New Orleans the city was re-shaped and gentrified post Katrina; making it almost impossible for many of its poorest; mostly black citizens to return.In The Disaster Profiteers; John Mutter argues that when no one is looking; disasters become a means by which the elite prosper at the expense of the poor. As the specter of increasingly frequent and destructive natural disasters looms in our future; this book will ignite an essential conversation about what we can do now to create a safer; more just world for us all.
#1914771 in eBooks 2014-06-30 2014-06-30File Name: B00SC6TG7C
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Easy to search and understandBy BernardoThis book has been really helpful for present projects research. It is well structured and the content is really easy to find and understand. It is a great introduction intro Indian Architecture.8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. A Superb OverviewBy Barbara EvansThough I cant improve upon the Midwest Book Reviews overview of this book; I hope it helps prospective buyers to know that two sources think INTRODUCTION TO INDIAN ARCHITECTURE is terrific. Especially pleasing are (by my count) the 216 colored photographs; which include a number of close-ups of details of buildings. Also excellent are the many line drawings that are included to show structural detail. For those who want an in-depth exploration of a particular period or type of Indian architecture; there are other (far more expensive) books to choose from. For one who is interested in ALL Indian architecture; however; this is the book to buy.1/2/11 Update: Having just returned from India; Im even more impressed with this book. It even has a section on the fascinating stepwells.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good informationBy Jordan M. LigonThe amount of information provided was helpful for my report. I wish the photographs had been in higher resolution so I could have downloaded them with my report as examples.
