Category Archives: Books

Book review of Vaclav Smil’s “Energy Transitions: History, Requirements, Prospects”

Posted on November 13, 2018 by

Preface.  In my extract of the 178 pages in the book below, Smil explains why renewables can’t possibly replace fossil fuels, and appears to be exasperated that people believe this can be done when he writes “Common expectations of energy … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Energy, Far Out, Vaclav Smil | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Book: John Perlin’s “A Forest Journey: The Story of Wood and Civilization”

Posted on October 18, 2018 by

Preface.  This contains excerpts from John Perlin’s “A Forest Journey: The Story of Wood and Civilization”. It’s one of my favorite books about natural resources, exploring the role wood has played in the rise and fall of civilizations since they … Continue reading →

Posted in Collapse of Civilizations, Collapsed, Deforestation, Limits To Growth, Peak Resources, Soil, Wood | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Part 6 Raven Rock. Alarming quotes from leaders

Posted on October 17, 2018 by

Preface. This is the 6th part of my book review of: Graff, G.M. 2018. Raven Rock. The Story of the U.S. Governments Secret Plan to Save Itself–While the Rest of Us Die. Simon and Schuster. These are some of the … Continue reading →

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Part 5 Raven Rock. Hidey holes for government and military officials to carry on democracy after nuclear war destroys the planet

Posted on October 15, 2018 by

Preface. This is the fifth part of my book review of: Graff, G.M. 2018. Raven Rock. The Story of the U.S. Governments Secret Plan to Save Itself–While the Rest of Us Die. Simon and Schuster.  There are so many doomsday … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear, Nuclear, Politics, War | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Part 4 Raven Rock. The government abandons plans to aid the public, only the government to survive

Posted on October 12, 2018 by

Preface. This is the fourth  part of my book review of: Graff, G.M. 2018. Raven Rock. The Story of the U.S. Governments Secret Plan to Save Itself–While the Rest of Us Die. Simon and Schuster.  Clearly if the U.S. government … Continue reading →

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Part 3 Raven Rock. The government’s plans for after a nuclear holocaust

Posted on October 6, 2018 by

This is the third part of my book review of: Graff, G.M. 2018. Raven Rock. The Story of the U.S. Governments Secret Plan to Save Itself–While the Rest of Us Die. Simon and Schuster. This book stresses that a full … Continue reading →

Posted in GOVERNMENT, Nuclear, Nuclear, Politics, Where to Be or Not to Be | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Part 2 Raven Rock. The U.S. government’s plans to save civilians from nuclear war

Posted on October 3, 2018 by

Graff, G.M. 2018. Raven Rock. The Story of the U.S. Governments Secret Plan to Save Itself–While the Rest of Us Die. At the outset of the cold war, scientists proposed that nationalism had to go away to prevent nuclear wars, … Continue reading →

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Part 1 Intro. Raven rock: the story of the U.S. governments secret plans to save itself after a nuclear war and let the rest of us die

Posted on September 30, 2018 by

This is a book review of Graff’s 2018 “ Raven Rock. The Story of the U.S. Governments Secret Plan to Save Itself–While the Rest of Us Die”. This book exposes the government’s plans to carry on government and democracy after … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear, Nuclear, Politics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Book review of “White Trash. The 400-year untold history of class in America”

Posted on September 27, 2018 by

Preface.  This book makes the case that the poor arrived 500 years ago when America was first settled, and most of them never rose to the middle or upper classes because “land was the principal source of wealth, and those … Continue reading →

Posted in Distribution of Wealth, Financial, Politics, Poverty | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Book review of “White Trash. The 400-year untold history of class in America”

The electric grid: fragile, filthy, poorly managed, polluting, inefficient, corrupt

Posted on September 18, 2018 by

Preface. Most forms of alternative energy depend on the electric grid (nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower). But the Grid is falling apart.  Most people who care about climate change believe electrifying everything will solve our problems. This energy section of … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Blackouts, Books, Electricity, Energy | 3 Comments