Category Archives: Books

From wood to fossil fueled civilizations — the greatest tragedy mankind will ever know

Posted on April 23, 2018 by

[ These are my notes from this book about how we went from an organic sustainable economy to a temporary fossil-fueled one.  It’s one of the few books I’ve found that explains what life was like before fossil fuels in … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Experts, Supply Chains | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

How horses changed native cultures after 1492

Posted on April 2, 2018 by

[ This is a very brief overview of Peter Mitchel’s “Horse Nations”.  As oil and other fossils decline, will we will almost certainly return to using more horse “muscle power” as we did in the past. Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Agriculture, Muscle Power | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren (excerpts)

Posted on March 20, 2018 by

Preface. Here are some excerpts to give you a taste of how delightful and well written this book is, hope it inspires young women to go into science.  And something good to read when the grid goes down… Warning: these … Continue reading →

Posted in (Auto)biography | Tagged , | 4 Comments

American Arsenal: A Century of Waging War by Patrick Coffey

Posted on January 8, 2018 by

Source: www.compoundchem.com/2014/05/17/chemical-warfare-ww1 Preface. These are my notes from “American Arsenal: A Century of Waging War” (2013) by Patrick Coffey . Absolutely horrifying, especially chemical warfare. Here’s the publishers weekly blurb of what this book is about: “Science historian Coffey surveys … Continue reading →

Posted in War | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Mining: Waste, Pollution, Destruction from Ugo Bardi’s “Extracted”

Posted on November 15, 2017 by

[ I’ve reworded/shortened some of the wording at times from this excellent book. Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation”, 2015, Springer and “Crunch! Whole Grain Artisan Chips and Crackers”. Podcasts:  KunstlerCast … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemicals, Coal Ash, Mercury, Nuclear, Pollution, Ugo Bardi | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Fossil and Nuclear Energy Reading List

Posted on October 28, 2017 by

[ Books and articles related to fossil fuels and nuclear energy.  More comments after the list.  Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation”, 2015, Springer and “Crunch! Whole Grain Artisan Chips and … Continue reading →

Posted in Book List | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Book review of “Chasing the Scream: The First and Last days of the War on Drugs”

Posted on October 25, 2017 by

[ The founder of the War on Drugs, Harry Anslinger, wanted to build as large a bureaucracy as possible. But a war on narcotics alone—cocaine and heroin, outlawed in 1914—wasn’t enough. They were used only by a tiny minority, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Drug wars and the prison system | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Why didn’t any white collar corporate criminals go to jail after the crash?

Posted on October 16, 2017 by

[ This is a book review with excerpts of “The Chickenshit club: Why the justice department fails to prosecute executives”.  Here is how the author Eisinger summarizes the problem and consequences: “Businesses now have privileges not seen since the Gilded … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Mortgages, No Jail for Bankers & Wall St execs | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Why and how authoritarian evangelicals threaten Democracy

Posted on September 15, 2017 by

Preface. This is a book review of “Conservatives without Conscience” by John Dean. It is the best book I’ve read in explaining the history of conservatism and leaders like Newt Gingrich on the increasing authoritarianism of Republicans, It also explains … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Thinking, Human Nature, Pat Robertson, Politics, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Why and how authoritarian evangelicals threaten Democracy

Book review of “1493 Uncovering the new world Columbus Created”

Posted on August 29, 2017 by

[ This book will be included in the “must read” category of my giant booklist when I get around to updating it. This book isn’t just about the past, the implications reverberate into the postcarbon future.  Will slavery return without … Continue reading →

Posted in 2) Collapse, Agriculture, Disease, Pesticides, Soil | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Book review of “1493 Uncovering the new world Columbus Created”