Books published by XLIBRIS

He considered himself an ordinary, uneducated Mori man but Joseph Harawira, QSM, was a tireless worker who became spokesperson for an organisation called SWAP (Sawmill Workers Against Poisons). SWAP relentlessly presented their evidence to authorities, for work place poisoning ca...using ill health, for thirty years until those authorities finally listened. Post-colonial New Zealand had seen huge developments in industry and farming alongside extensive use of toxic chemicals in forestry, polluting the land, waterways and poisoning people. Joe mainly worked at the Whakatne sawmill between 1963 and 1992. The two main chemicals of concern were PCP (pentachlorophenol) and dioxin. Still working and in declining health, Joe had been looking for the 'right' person to record his journey. A series of unexpected events led to his choice of author, a retired Pkeh woman, a stranger with a Master's degree, with whose partner he had recently reconnected through work. Joe grieved the loss of mentorship by Mori elders which left some Mori men feeling disconnected, sometimes resulting in violence, suicide or gang affiliation. He blamed some of this on poisons and understood there were also other factors. He wanted today's young men to see that they too could believe in something, educate themselves and gain respect through their efforts. Joe felt keenly that even though there was some recognition of chemical poisoning in male sawmill workers, women cleaners and wives who dealt with contaminated clothing and gardens were, and still are, ignored by authorities. Ironically, sawmill work was not his first choice but events conspired to place him in a position where he could be spokesperson for the important issue: chemical poisoning of the land and of the people.
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Blood and Concrete: 21st Century Conflict in Urban Centers and Megacities provides a foundation for understanding urban operations and sustaining urban warfare research. This Small Wars Journal (SWJ) Anthology documents over a decade of writings on urban conflict. In addition to ...essays originally published at SWJ it adds new content including an introduction by the editors, a preface on Blood and Concrete by David Kilcullen, a foreword Urban Warfare Studies by John Spencer, a postscript Cities in the Crossfire: The Rise of Urban Violence by Margarita Konaev, and an afterword Urban Operations: Meeting Challenges, Seizing Opportunities, Improving the Approach by Russell W. Glenn. These essays frame the discussion found in the collection's remaining 49 chapters. Blood and Concrete continues the legacy of Small Was Journal's coverage of urban operations, conflict and combat.
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For years Len's friends have encouraged him to write his travel adventures for all to read. He is widely acknowledged as a 'great story-teller' and enjoys entertaining his friends with travel tales or delivering power-point presentations to select audiences. Len's first overseas ...adventure was as part of a delegation of New Zealand University graduates to People's Republic of China in 1977 and he has been constantly traveling since then. This book covers over 40 years of travel to over 35 countries. Len's aim to to entertain and inform the reader and bring laughter to otherwise stressful situations.
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