Category Archives: Books

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 →

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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

Booklist: Agriculture

Posted on March 10, 2018 by

Preface. Industrial agriculture is destroying topsoil, aquifers, and biodiversity with land use changes, heavy equipment, and pesticides — which only work for 5 years on average (see Dyer’s “Chasing the Red Queen” below), and scientists are running out of new … Continue reading →

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Booklist: Trump, Russia, Drugs U.S. History, Politics, Corruption, Feminism

Posted on February 19, 2018 by

 More booklists Drugs J Hari. Chasing the scream. The first and last days of the war on drugs N Reding. Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town JH Halpern. Opium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned … Continue reading →

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Booklist: Travel, Psychology, World history, Food, Anthropology, (Auto)biography, Cults, Religion

Posted on January 28, 2018 by

More booklists Travel & Science A Wulf.  The Invention of Nature: The adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, the lost hero of science. R Conniff. The Species Seekers: Heroes, Fools, and the Mad Pursuit of Life on Earth R Sapolsky. A … Continue reading →

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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 →

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

Posted on November 15, 2017 by

Preface. I’ve reworded/shortened some of the wording at times from this excellent book. Here are 7 other posts from this great book: Mining: Waste, Pollution, Destruction Ugo Bardi predictions of the future Minerals and War Minerals: Natural gas Minerals: Coal … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemicals, Hazardous Waste, Mining, Nuclear Waste, Pollution, Ugo Bardi | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Energy Crisis Booklist: EROEI, Peak oil, Peak coal, Peak natural gas, Nuclear, Kerogen, Methane hydrates

Posted on October 28, 2017 by

More booklists Laws of physics Professor Tom Murphy, at the University of California, San Diego has a free textbook showing the math and physics of why renewables can’t replace fossil fuels: “Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet. Assessing … Continue reading →

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The war on drugs. A book review of “Chasing the scream”

Posted on October 25, 2017 by

Preface. The founder of the War on Drugs in the U.S., 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 … Continue reading →

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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