Cousteau: Haiti: Waters Of Sorrow; Cousteau: Riders Of The Wind; Cousteau: Western Australia Out West Down Under

Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the octogenarian scientist of the oceans who has probably spent more time underwater than many of us have spent aboveground, is the executive producer, along with his son JeanMichel, of these three new releases from the second Cousteau six-pack from Turner Home Entertainment. Haiti: Waters of Sorrow and Riders of the Wind are both over five years old, which lessens the "new discoveries" aspects of each program but they are both general enough to be informative and interesting. Raymond Burr narrates Haiti: Waters of Sorrow, in which the crew from Calypso examine Haiti's overpopulation problem, the massive overfishing situation, and the local religious practices-particularly voodoo. The Haitians emerge as a simple, troubled, yet also joyous and beautiful people grappling with industrial age questions that are new to them. Riders of the Wind, narrated by Peter Ustinov, follows Cousteau on the maiden voyage of Alcyone, which uses the Turbosail, a computer-controlled cylindrical metal tube, co-invented by Cousteau, in place of the traditional canvas sail. After a disastrous first journey, the crew sets out once again with two Turbosails in place to cross the Atlantic and arrives in New York harbor with a hero's welcome. Western Australia: Out West Down Under, narrated by Mel Gibson, is the latest and most visually interesting of the trio of tapes. In this program, Jean-Michel Cousteau takes an in-depth look at Australia's diverse fishing industry, from lobstering to cultured pearls. Virtually every stage from preparing for the catch to shipping to foreign markets is covered in detail. Western Australia is highly recommended, and Haiti and Riders of the Wind are recommended. The three other titles in the series are: Borneo: Forests Without Land, Bering Sea: Twilight of the Alaskan Hunter, and Thailand: Convicts of the Sea. Aylmer Press is offering a $10 discount on orders of all six titles. "Save the Planet," a software program available for both IBM compatibles and Mac computers is included with the purchase of the series, or is available separately for $9.98. (Available from: Aylmer Press, P.O. Box 2735, Madison, WI 53701 and other distributors.)