Category Archives: Books

Matt Simmons “Twilight in the Desert” Saudi Arabia oil: how much left?

Once the large fields peak in Saudi Arabia oil shocks will reverberate throughout the world Best up-to-date status of oil fields in Saudi Arabia. Ghawar is in decline, but 2 new fields filled in, once they’re in decline, there are … Continue reading

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Book review of Murderers in Mausoleums. Riding the back roads of empire between Moscow and Beijing

Book review of Murderers in Mausoleums. Riding the back roads of empire between Moscow and Beijing. Jeffrey Tayler. 2009. This was a very timely book to read while the crisis is unfolding now in the Ukraine. One of the reasons … Continue reading

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How to preserve your wealth in the worst depression ever

A book review by Alice Friedemann, June 17, 2009, of: Weiss, Martin D. 2009. “The Ultimate Depression Survival Guide.  How to Protect Your Savings, Boost Your Income, and Grow Wealthy Even in the Worst of Times”. Wiley. The economic crisis … Continue reading

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Review of “The Bet: Paul Erlich, Julian Simon, and our Gamble over Earth’s Future”

Alice Friedemann book review of “The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and Our Gamble over Earth’s Future” by Paul Sabin Kind of scary that Bill Gates recommends this book. But then again, to get really good at something, you don’t … Continue reading

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Stuck in a Land Rover watching women do all the work

A book review by Alice Friedemann of Ann Jones “Looking for Lovedu. Days and Nights in Africa”. 2001. The book deserves 5 stars in terms of hardship and difficulty. It ought to be required reading in schools to alert women … Continue reading

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Book Review of “Wheel of Fortune. The Battle for Oil and Power in Russia”

Alice Friedemann’s book review of “Wheel of Fortune. The Battle for Oil and Power in Russia”, by Thane Gustafson. 2012. The main thesis of this book is that Russia will collapse again. Soon.  Unless Russia drills offshore and in the … Continue reading

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Read Chagnon’s “Noble Savages” instead – “Falling Sky” is co-written by one of his attackers

A book review by Alice Friedemann at energyskeptic of “The Falling Sky: Words of a Yanomami Shaman” by Davi Kopenawa and Bruce Albert. Anyone who knows about the baseless, hateful attacks on Chagnon by Tierney and other cultural anthropologists like … Continue reading

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New York Times review of “Countdown” by Alan Weisman

A book review by Nathaniel Rich, October 11, 2013, New York Times of: COUNTDOWN. Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth? By Alan Weisman If we wanted to bring about the extinction of the human race as quickly … Continue reading

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Book Review of Visit Sunny Chernobyl

Alice Friedemann’s book review of Andrew Blackwell’s 2012 “Visit Sunny Chernobyl and other adventures in the world’s most polluted places” If you want to see photos from Blackwell’s travels, go to his website “Visit Sunny Chernobyl” Blackwell is the ideal … Continue reading

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The Race to Adapt, a book review of Klare’s “The Race for What’s Left”

Coltan mining Preface. This is a book review of Michael Klare’s “The Race For What’s Left: The Global Scramble for the World’s Last Resources” . Alice Friedemann www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation”, … Continue reading

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