Author Archives: smellincoffee

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About smellincoffee

Citizen, librarian, reader with a boundless wonder for the world and a curiosity about all the beings inside it.

Napoleon: Life and Legacy

Posted on October 22, 2020 by smellincoffee

Napoleon: Life and Legacy© 2011 Alan Forrest403 pages Napoleon is an unavoidable figure of European history, and enjoys no shortage of admirers even today. For years he dominated a continent, using native talents given abundant opportunities opened by the revolution … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Wisdom Wednesday: Try

Posted on October 20, 2020 by smellincoffee

Scene: A visionary academic, Hari Seldon, has attracted the attention and wrath of the Emperor, and is fleeing for his life with the assistance of “Chester Hummin”, a journalist. The two men take refuge in a dismal diner and Hummin … Continue reading →

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COVID Reviews #6 Cleaning Up with gangsters, Navajo, politicians, and so many Germans

Posted on October 20, 2020 by smellincoffee

Back in September and early October when I was under quarantine, I didn’t have computer access, so I couldn’t take many notes or write reviews when things were fresh on my mind. I tried to post comments intermittently, but some … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ten Titles Recommended to me Since 2013

Posted on October 20, 2020 by smellincoffee

Today the TTT is revisiting a subject from 2013, our favorite books which have been reccommended to us. Desert Solitaire, anonymous commentator. Years ago someone suggested I read Ed Abbey’s ” Desert Solitaire”, and that book’s descriptions of the southwest … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 3 Comments

How to win friends and influence terrorists to chill out

Posted on October 17, 2020 by smellincoffee

Gary Noesner served as an FBI hostage negotiator for decades, helping defuse many high profile incidents. Below are some of his toughts on communication and persuasian, taken from his memoir Stalling for Time. SELECTIONS Among negotiators, this process of trust … Continue reading →

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Stalling for Time

Posted on October 17, 2020 by smellincoffee

Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator242 pages© 2010 Gary Noesner Having read extensively about the Ruby Ridge and Waco debacles, I couldn’t help but be curious about the “other side’s” perspective: the state’s. How did the … Continue reading →

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A Bright Future

Posted on October 15, 2020 by smellincoffee

A Bright Future: How Some Nations have Solved Climate Change and How the Rest can Follow© 2019 Joshua Goldstein & Staffan Qvist245 pages It is past time for the global community to take climate change seriously. In order to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Wisdom Wednesday: Know thyself

Posted on October 14, 2020 by smellincoffee

Today’s quotes are drawn from Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories, by Rob Brotherton. I’m especially happy to have to finished it, because now I can get Elvis out of my head. It was a stellar book, an end-year … Continue reading →

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COVID Diary # 9: Out of Quarantine

Posted on October 11, 2020 by smellincoffee

On Thursday, September 24th, I was off work pending the results of a COVID test; I didn’t think much of it, since I only go to 4 places these days and am masked at all of them except for the … Continue reading →

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Back to Lost Heaven

Posted on October 9, 2020 by smellincoffee

Eighteen years ago (!!!!!) I fell in love with a game: Mafia, by Gathering of Developers. A third-person shooter set in 1930s America, telling the story of a young cab driver who is drawn into a crime family. The setting, … Continue reading →

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