Winner of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year 2016. Stanfords London Book of the Month March 2017 Recruited to work on a big documentary project, Julian goes to New York convinced he has hit big time at last. Finding the project cancelled he wanders the city streets & hitchhiking to San Francisco slowly starts to seem like the most sensible option for his career as a travel writer. The story finds an unseen America in rough shape; Julian meets a place of Interstates, forgotten towns & food deserts, always grappling with the scale & energy of the US. Julian tells a tale of Steinbeck, Kerouac & the vast, thundering indifference of American geography & culture at the start of a new century. ...

Many oil & gas terminals require the Master to sign ‘ Conditions of Use’ before being admitted to berth at the terminal. These COUs are often presented at short notice & contain onerous terms that are balanced against shipowners. This publication highlights the difficulties this may cause & provides a number of tools designed to produce fair & balanced contractual terms in order to promote a safety culture in port.***COUs often contractually seek to deprive owners of their statutory right to limit liability. Generally, & for crude trades in particular, COUs are rarely provided to owners in advance. As a consequence, the Master is often placed in a difficult position – agree the terminal’s asymmetric & unilateral conditions in a time sensitive environment or face the prospect of being denied entry to the port and/or terminal. In addition, if the Master agrees to the COU, owners may be held liable for matters controlled by the terminal. This is a problematic position for owners contractually, in terms of their own risk management & from an insurance perspective. The practice is being followed by an increasing number of terminals around the world. If the Master does not agree to the COU, in most instances, this will also have immediate consequences under any applicable charterparty.INTERTANKO is concerned about the risk that:i. owners may prejudice their statutory right to limit their liability through agreement to the terminal COUs & in doing so potentially also prejudice their P&I cover; andii. owners may be exposed to unsafe terminal practices for which they may bear unrestricted liability. In light of the foregoing, one could ask where the incentive is for the terminal to meet stringent safety standards, if the owner is responsible for any incident regardless of fault. COU terms should not expose owners to liabilities beyond those contractually agreed to in any applicable charterparty; or to liabilities that, properly considered, are the responsibility of the terminal, or to risks that cannot be insured in a viable manner consistent with the well-established international liability regimes. INTERTANKO has prepared this guide to:i. raise awareness of the issues; andii. provide owners/operators & Masters with a number of tools designed to produce fair & balanced contractual terms in order to promote a safety culture in port. The Guide also considers how charterers ordering vessels to terminals that impose onerous COUs may not only share the risk but may also indemnify owners for any uninsured liabilities or losses arising from the COU. The Guide considers both the crude & LNG sectors as there are some notable differences in approach for each sector, in particular on the part of P&I Clubs. The Guide may equally apply to product, bulk & other trades where COUs are used. ...

Published November 2017. This guide, now in its 12th edition, has become an invaluable tool to assist ship & office staff, charterers & oil majors gain a clear understanding to ensure the effective vetting of ships. The INTERTANKO Secretariat receives countless enquiries for up-to-date information on the different vetting & ship inspection requirements of oil & chemical companies, insurers & underwriters in addition to information pertaining to the various Port State Control requirements. ...

The purpose of this guide is to assist a vessel’s staff to prepare both themselves & the vessel for a ship inspection. Vessels` Practical Guide to Vetting (formerly Seafarers` Guide to Vetting Inspections) is the result of an INTERTANKO Vetting Committee initiative & has been written for all Officers & crew on board to enable them to better understand the content & requirements of the SIRE Vessel Inspection Questionnaire (VIQ). Contents: Foreword Introduction Chapter 1. General Information Chapter 2. Certification & Documentation Chapter 3. Crew Management Chapter 4. Navigation & Communications Chapter 5. Safety Management Chapter 6. Pollution Prevention Chapter 7. Maritime Security Chapter 8. Cargo & Ballast Systems – Petroleum Chapter 8. Cargo & Ballast Systems – Chemical Chapter 8. Cargo & Ballast Systems – LPGChapter 8. Cargo & Ballast Systems – LNGChapter 9. Mooring Chapter 10. Engine & Steering Compartments Chapter 11. General Appearance & Condition Chapter 12. Ice Operations Inspection Close-out Meeting INTERTANKO Vetting Inspection Feedback Form ...

Over forty years of service to the United Nations
- the last ten as Secretary-General
- Kofi Annan has been at the centre of

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In 1866 Britain`s foremost explorer, Dr David Livingstone, went in search of the answer to an age-old geographical riddle: where was the source of the Nile? Livingstone set out with a large team, on a course that would lead through unmapped, seemingly impenetrable terrain into areas populated by fearsome man-eating tribes. Within weeks his expedition began to fall apart
- his entourage deserted him & Livingstone vanished without trace. He would not be heard from again for two years. While debate raged in England over whether Livingstone could be found in the unmapped wilderness of the African interior, James Gordon Bennet, a brash young American newspaper tycoon, hatched a plan to capitalise on the world`s fascination with the missing legend. He commissioned his star reporter, Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands in Wales!), to search for Livingstone. Stanley undertook his quest with gusto, filing reports that captivated readers & dominated the front page of the New York Herald for months. INTO AFRICA traces the journeys of Livingstone & Stanley in alternating chapters. Livingstone`s is one of trials & set-backs, that finds him alone & miles from civilisation. Stanley`s is an awakening to the beauty of Africa, the grandeur of the landscape & the vivid diversity of its wildlife. It is also a journey that succeeds beyond his wildest dreams, clinching his place in history with the famous enquiry: ` Dr Livingstone, I presume?`. In this, the first book to examine the extraordinary physical challenges, political intrigue & larger-than-life personalities of this legendary story, Martin Dugard has opened a fascinating window on the golden age of exploration that will appeal to everyone`s sense of adventure.
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In this thorough, lively & carefully researched book, authors Yale Richmond & Phyllis Gestrin explore the complex cultures of contemporary sub-Saharan Africa & bring them to life. Into Africa provides valuable intercultural insights for those who are interested in doing business or working with organizations in sub-Saharan Africa, for professors of African studies, for trainers & development assistance professionals, & for anyone else who wishes to learn more about this dynamic part of the world. The authors examine the significance of community, ethnicity, language, contemporary African society, doing business & establishing professional relationships. They follow this with an exploration of regional differences & then offer detailed guidelines for conducting workshops & training programs in Africa. Also included is a chapter called Africans, Americans, & African Americans, in which the authors examine issues which reflect the complex interrelationships involved. ...

This new & expanded edition of ” Into Africa” will bring readers up-to-date on the changes in ” Sub-Saharan Africa” since the first edition was published 11 years ago, as Africa continues its adaptation to Western ways while retaining its cultural traditions & diversity. Among the new topics covered are changes in politics & business practices, trade with the United States & Europe, how the mobile phone has changed communication in Africa, & the continuing threat of HIV/AIDS. In this thorough, lively & carefully researched book, the authors provide valuable advise & explore the complex cultures of contemporary Africa & brings them to life. ...

Into Danger sees Kate Adie set out on a journey to discover just who is attracted to living dangerously & risking their life for their work. More than anything else it is a personally motivated exploration of human capability by a woman who speaks from experience. Since her days as a frontline reporter, Kate Adie has earned her reputation as one of the most intrepid women of her day. She believes her career in news reporting was not as dangerous as some people think, but the constant assumption has given her a curiosity about who does the kind of work where an error can be lethal. Amongst others, Adie speaks to prostitutes, stuntmen & landmine exploders
- all of whom start each day with the very real knowledge that it might be their last.
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The Minister for Defence is blown to smithereens in his car on a lonely road in the Brecon Beacons, where he has a weekend hideaway. DI Ned Bale is on the crime scene within seconds, but neither he nor forensics can work out how on earth the crime was committed, let alone who did it, or with what motive. That is until one fingerprint is found on one tiny fragment of the explosive timing device. The fingerprint of Ned Bale`s closest ally in the Force, dog handler Kate Baker. But how on earth could her fingerprint be on a terrorist`s bomb. Far away on bomb disposal duty in Afghanistan, Kate has to be questioned. But Kate herself has become involved with someone extremely plausible, attractive & dangerous. The mystery which unravels through this gripping thriller is completely unexpected. ...