Category Archives: Politics and Civic Interest

Pirate Cinema

Posted on August 16, 2018 by smellincoffee

Pirate Cinema© 2012 Cory Doctorow384 pages All Cecil B. DeVille wanted to do was make movies. He didn’t mean to ruin his family’s lives or start a revolution. In the not-too-distant future,  consumer electronics have concealed chips which monitor and … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Little Brother

Posted on June 9, 2018 by smellincoffee

Little Brother© 2008 Corey Doctorow380 pages Following the destruction of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, a nightmare begins for a high school student who is scooped up by police in the aftermath. Not only has one of his friends … Continue reading →

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

9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America

Posted on February 19, 2018 by smellincoffee

9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America and 4 Who Tried to Save Her©  2016 Brion McClanahan354 pages It is my dearest hope that by the time Donald Trump leaves the West Wing, the office of the presidency will have been … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Fool’s Errand

Posted on February 8, 2018 by smellincoffee

Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan © 2017 Scott Horton 318 pages Incredible as it sounds, it is nearly possible for a child conceived in the first week of the US invasion of Afghanistan to have come … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Poetry Night at the Ballpark

Posted on February 3, 2018 by smellincoffee

Poetry Night at the Ballpark and Other Scenes from an Alternative America © 2015 Bill Kauffman 442 pages  “Lift up your hearts, friends – America ain’t dead yet.”  For thirty years, Bill Kauffman has been blowing raspberries at or haranguing … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Every Man a King

Posted on January 20, 2018 by smellincoffee

Every Man a King© 1989 Bill Kauffman277 pages Every Man is a King follows the self-destruction and resurrection of one John Huey Long, a rising star in DC’s intellectual establishment who disgraced himself in a heated television interview. Fired and … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Lessons from a Lemonade Stand

Posted on January 7, 2018 by smellincoffee

 Lessons from a Lemonade Stand: An Unconventional Guide to Government© 2017 Connor Boyack145 pages Who knew  lemonade was a gateway drug to anarchism?   Beginning with the true story of several girls who were bullied and fined by their local Officer … Continue reading →

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

Energy Myths and Realities

Posted on October 20, 2017 by smellincoffee

Energy Myths and Realities: Bringing Science to the Energy Debate© 2010 Vaclav Smil232 pages Nothing lasts forever, including coal and oil. Regardless of their environmental impact (as noxious fumes or released greenhouse gases), ultimately humanity will have to transition away … Continue reading →

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

Infrastructure: A Field Guide

Posted on September 14, 2017 by smellincoffee

Infrastructure: A Field Guide to the Industrial Landscape© 1999, 2014 Brian Hayes544 pages Here at last is a book for those of us who constantly gaze out the car window at the fixtures on utility poles, or drums mounted in … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Civics Literacy Test

Posted on August 18, 2017 by smellincoffee

Within the last few weeks I stumbled across a pdf  labelled “1960s Alabama Literacy Test”.  The host is a state university that has put it in a ‘jimcrow’ folder, so I assume it is presented as an example of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest | Tagged , | 5 Comments